


Thawing the Hearts of an Icy Rebellion - (Rainbow Dust)

by ManlyQuail



Category: RWBY
Genre: Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Eventual Smut, F/F, Faunus Rebels, Ilia Amitola-centric, Kidnapped Weiss, Post-Volume 6 (RWBY), Prismatic Ponytails - Freeform, Rainbow Dust, Weiss Has Daddy Issues, Weiss Schnee-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-10-22 01:30:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 45,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17653442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManlyQuail/pseuds/ManlyQuail
Summary: Weiss Schnee, shortly after arriving in Atlas, has found herself held prisoner in her family's very own dust mines. A steadily growing Faunus Rebellion has decided to use her as a bargaining chip in their plans to fight back against the Atlesian Military and the Schnee Dust Company, and they believe Weiss to be crucial to their plans. Fortunately for Weiss however, she finds a familiar face among the rebels. Ilia Amitola, a friend of Blake Belladonna, is present within the mines as well. Acting as a liaison for Ghira Belladonna and the new Faunus movement, her goal is to defuse the situation in Atlas and attempt to bring about peace similar to that found in Mistral. Unfortunately, the rebels are less keen to befriend humanity, and Ilia works to help Weiss escape her prison and return to the safety of her friends.





	1. An Unexpected Ally

“And again, welcome back to Atlas Miss Schnee.” With a scoff, the massive faunus man tossed the girl into the cell. Her regularly pale and glittery dress had become dull and coated with a layer of dust and dirt from being dragged through the tunnels that made up the Atlesian Dust Mines. Weiss Schnee, disarmed and slightly bruised, tumbled as the cell slammed shut behind her, a key locking her in place as the man turned to the others that had aided in her capture.

Sitting up and dusting herself off, Weiss glared back through the bars of her prison as the men toyed with Myrtenaster. Spinning the dust cartridge and testing the durability of the blade by taking turns attempting to bend it, Weiss gave the group a dirty look. The largest of the group eventually shoved the weapon into the hands of another faunus and gestured down the tunnels, ordering him to stash it with the rest of their stockpile.

“You won’t get away with this you know. The instant anyone from my family learns you have me, Ironwood and several _hundred_ soldiers are going to sweep through here to retrieve me.” Weiss glared as the hulking faunus man that had thrown her into the cell without the slightest hint of delicacy.

He was a bulky faunus, wearing a tight black shirt and baggy green cargo pants. The bottom half of his jaw had formed a great under bite, and sizeable tusks like a hog replaced his lower canines. Cracking his knuckles he smirked, leaning down to reach eye level with the shorter girl, and shook his head. Weiss did her best to glare back, but flinched as she recognized an SDC brand across his cheek.

“Those fools wouldn’t have a clue where ta even start looking, and I ain’t above crackin a few skulls if push comes to shove. Besides, I doubt they’d risk harm to a delicate little thing like yerself.” Laughing and turning to the other men as they all shared in the humor, there was some shoving and yelling coming from further down in the passage. Weiss stepped forward to try and glance through the bars, though nervously keeping an eye on her captors in case they decide to try and rough her up some more.

“What is going on down here? People are saying you took a prisoner, I thought we were past this!” Weiss recognized the voice, and the men parted ways as a familiar face shoved past them.

“Ilia?”

“Weiss?”

“What the _hell_ is she doing here?” Ilia turned to the massive boar faunus and gripped his shirt without hesitation. Her skin rapidly changed from the tan appearance it normally held and flushed to a burning red as if she’d taken on the appearance of a flame. Small spots along her also glowed a vibrant yellow as the man stared down at her with an amused expression.

“She be a prisoner ma’am. As ya can see we’ve recently obtained a rather impressive bargainin chip, and I’ve just begun ta think of a list o’ demands we can put forward to those in charge.” Staring down at Ilia as she sneered up at him, he reached up to grip her wrist tightly, while at the same time she reached down for the metallic whip weapon holstered at her waist. The two stayed like that for a few moments, staring one another down waiting for the other to back down, when Ilia lightened her grip and ripped her hand from his grasp.

“I came here to improve relations between humans and the Faunus, and you seem to be doing everything in your power to undo _everything_ we’ve worked for so far.” Ilia held her irate expression, skin still a vibrant and raging crimson.

“With all due respect, yer way of doin things don’t seem to be workin out thus far. Conditions still as bad as ever, and without White Fang support, we ain’t exactly got much to work with anymore. Ya brought a lot o’ promises when ya came to tell us how things had changed back in Mistral, but this ain’t Mistral. Things ain’t gonna just work out as long as we’re essentially slaves to her pops.” The boar faunus jerked his thumb in Weiss’s direction, and she took a step back as his eyes locked onto hers.

“The Schnee Dust Company has made great strides to…” Weiss tried for a moment to stand up for her family. She knew how awful the conditions really were, but in her time home she had urged her father on many occasions to improve conditions in the mine. Unfortunately, it sounded like he’d disregarded all of her recommendations, and the boar faunus slammed both his bulky fists against the cage, rattling the bars. Weiss yelped and took another step back as he growled at her.

“Yer lot hasn’t done shit in terms of makin strides. Don’t try and pull that with me, you and yer entire family loathe the Faunus, and have taken _great strides_ to really show us how you feel.” Tapping a meaty finger against the brand on his cheek, the boar faunus shook his head and pushed away from the bars.

“That doesn’t mean we sink to their level. If we start acting like the animals they try and mark us as, things will only get worst. The White Fang tried to solve faunus issues with violence and look what happened. They’re all gone. Adam, Sienna, everyone is dead, and if you keep this us, you’ll all end up the same.” Ilia tapped an aggressive finger against the boar’s chest, and he just huffed and shook his head.

“Yer all talk girl. We’ve been willin to hear ya out so far, but if ya start to become an issue there’s plenty o’ room in that cell with yer friend there.” Motioning with his head to the cage Weiss was in, the boar twirled the keyring around on his finger and chuckled. “I hear ya try to break her out or start informin Atlas personnel about where we’re at, and ya might not even survive long enough to git to the cell.”

Ilia could only stare as the boar walked away with a pair of faunus flanking behind him. He let out a booming laughing as a stag and snake faunus followed after, giving both Weiss and Ilia dirty looks as they walked away. As they faded from sight, their voices no longer even echoing to them, Ilia’s skin faded back to the tan and brown speckles it had held prior. She let out a heavy defeated sigh, and stared at the lock to the cell Weiss was in.

“It’s alright, don’t worry about me.” Weiss had deflated a great deal and taken a seat against one of the stony walls of her prison. She closed her eyes and pulled her knees close to her chest, before dropping her head into her arms.

“No, this isn’t right. We worked so hard to change the White Fang, to change all the relations in Mistral and Menagerie. We can’t fail to do the same here in Atlas, I can’t bear to see any more hate or bloodshed.” Ilia slumped down against the bars, her face almost pressing between them as she gave Weiss a pained expression.

“He’s right though, this isn’t anything like Mistral though, this is Atlas. My family has done horrible things to the Faunus here for generations, you saw the brand. This goes far beyond dirty looks and name calling.” Weiss lifted her head, her eyes tearing up as she stared back into Ilia’s eyes. Using her sleeve to dry her eyes, Weiss shook her head and continued with a weak laugh. “I’m surprised you’re not on their side in all of this, you must hate me too. I know Blake did when we first met.”

While the two had met before, this was their first prolonged conversation together. Ilia stared back at Weiss as she thought about what she was saying. A few memories started to bubble up, her skin gradually growing the red it had been minutes ago. Her time in the Atlas Prep School, time in the White Fang, time with Adam. Ilia then took a steady breath, closing her eyes and calming herself, as the red shading faded back to tan once again.

“If I give it a bit of thought, you have a point. I spent a great deal of time in the White Fang, and I was always surrounded by so much hate. Adam in particular was a big advocate in condemning you and your family, and had we met just a few months ago I might have still shared his views.” Ilia opened her eyes and gave Weiss a weak smile. Weiss returned the smile with her own confusion, tilting her head and sniffling.

“What changed?” Weiss watched as Ilia’s cheeks, followed by the majority of her skin, turned a light shade of pink. She reached up to her ponytail, brushing her fingers through it as she looked away.

“I had a long talk with Blake and well… she taught me a lot about forgiveness and letting go of the past. It’s thanks to her that I can be here to even try and make a difference in Atlas.” Ilia looked back at Weiss, her skin changing back steadily, and she gave a confident stare. “I don’t know a lot about you, but you’re a friend of Blake, and it’d be hypocritical to judge you for the actions of your father. I wouldn’t want you to do the same to me for having been in the White Fang and… well…”

“Trying to kill off my friends and I?” Weiss gave a look to Ilia with a raised eyebrow, and a mixture of panic and concern crossed the girl’s face as her skin flickered a variety of colors. Weiss giggled, and Ilia just stared back, unsure of how to respond. “I’m kidding.”

“Oh.” Ilia smiled awkwardly as the two exchanged a glance, before each looking away, wondering what to say next.

Weiss eventually stood, and slowly walked up to the bars where Ilia was still crouched. The faunus girl stood, pursing her lips as Weiss extended a hand through the bars. Ilia looked at it, baffled.

“Weiss Schnee, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Weiss gave a bright smile, catching Ilia completely off guard. After a brief moment of hesitation, Ilia quickly extended her own to shake Weiss’s hand. Smiling brightly, feeling a weight leave her shoulders as their hands moved in unison, Ilia returned the gesture.

“Ilia Amitola, and the pleasure is all mine.”


	2. Catching Up

“Feeding time for the prisssoner.” The snake faunus that Weiss had seen flanking the boar faunus earlier stepped into the light of the torch that lit Weiss’s cell. He’d arrived midway through a conversation between Ilia and Weiss who had been discussing their success in Mistral. Ilia was hopeful she could repeat such a miracle here in Atlas, though Weiss was far from optimistic about her chances. Even more so due to her particular situation; it was obvious that the rebels in Atlas were less inclined to listen to reason when compared to those in Menagerie or Mistral. Not out of fear however, but out of anger and hate.

The snake faunus tossed down a tray in front of Ilia, gesturing for her to pass it under the bars to Weiss. The tray was flimsy plastic, hardly clean, and on top of it was half a loaf of bread that looked like there was a steadily growing colony of mold across the surface. Weiss gave it a disgusted look, and Ilia frowned before holding the bread up to the other faunus.

“What do you think you’re doing, trying to poison her? I’ve snuck in plenty of edible rations to keep everyone here fed, and yet you’re offering up moldy bread?” The snake faunus hissed and rolled his eyes at Ilia’s outburst.

“Not my choicccce. Bossss says keep her alive, not comfortable. Rationsss are for those who are willing to work and those who are willing to fight.” As the faunus spoke to Ilia, his speech lingering on various syllables, he looked between Ilia and Weiss with a frown. “Talking is alssso hardly working. Kobichi may not approve.”

“I’m not exactly under Kobichi’s payroll now am I? I came here willingly to help and supply the faunus while trying to diffuse the situation. If he wants to try and smuggle in food on his own though, I’ll let someone else guard Miss Schnee and be on my merry way. Otherwise, I’m going to use my free time to watch the prisoner that he failed to assign a guard to in the first place.” Ilia and the snake faunus shared a long stare, his eyes occasionally travelling to Weiss who did her best to maintain a neutral expression.

After a few moments, he shook his head and yanked the bread away from Ilia. Kneeling down he snatched up the tray and started to walk away without another word. Ilia and Weiss watched him every step of the way, until they both let out a sigh of relief.

“You know that means he might _actually_ assign someone to come watch me right?” Weiss frowned looking at Ilia, who just shook her head.

“Kobichi may act like a big man but he knows how much he needs me. I can blend in outside of the mines and sneak past the guards, so I’m the only one keeping everyone fed down here. The majority of workers aren’t part of the rebellion yet, but he’s doing his best to gather his strength and put together something.” Ilia sighed and gave Weiss a frown. “Sorry about the bread…”

“Oh please, as if I would ever be caught dead eating moldy food. Even as a prisoner I still maintain a sense of dignity and pride.” Weiss gave Ilia a comforting smile, although a growl from her stomach betrayed her confident words.

“I’ll try and sneak you something when everyone is asleep. Until then, think you can hold on?” Ilia stepped from the bars to lean her back against the stone wall across from Weiss’s cell. Lifting a leg and planting a food behind her, she gave Weiss a hopeful chuckle.

“I think I can survive a few more hours without food. Besides, better go hungry than risk eating that disgusting bread.” Weiss let out a huff as she combed through her hair with her fingers, doing her best to try and tidy up her ponytail and get any dust and dirt out of it. Ilia watched for a few moments before breaking the silence.

“So what happened anyways? I’ll be honest, you were the last person I expected to bump into down here. Is the rest of your team with you as well?” Ilia tilted her head, giving Weiss a curious glance.

“Yes, we all arrived recently after some rather dramatic events in Argus. Judging from the conversation earlier, I guess you’ve already heard about Adam.” Weiss watched as a pained expression washed over Ilia’s face, her skin turning a tint of blue.

“I heard about it but could hardly believe it. He’d become a monster, becoming even more unhinged than he already was back in Mistral. After the events at Haven he returned to the White Fang only to kill off everyone at the headquarters and take off again. A faunus girl picking shells of the coast of Argus found his body a short time ago, and word spread pretty quickly after that. It still feels so unreal.” Ilia bit her lip, her blue tones turning to a red as she clenched her fist.

“Well, that was one of many things we had to deal with in Argus. I mean, I wasn’t there to see what happened with Adam specifically, but Blake and Yang told us about it after-”

“Blake killed him?” Ilia’s colors faded back to her normal tan as she moved quickly towards the bars. Her eyes were wide as she gripped on tight to the bars, staring at a shocked Weiss.

“Uhh yeah, her and Yang. They said he kind of snapped and was desperately trying to kill Blake.” Weiss could see panic continue to grow in Ilia’s eyes, they had stopped focusing on Weiss and were darting side to side as her mind played out numerous scenarios.

“Is she, I mean, are they okay?” Ilia was yearning for any detail concerning the events involving the battle with Adam, and Weiss was hesitant to respond.

“She’s fine, they both are. Blake came away just a little exhausted, and Yang’s arm will need some repair while we’re in Atlas, but yes, they’re both okay physically. As for emotionally, I guess only time will tell.” Ilia gasped, as if she’d been holding her breath during Weiss’s response, and she stumbled back against the wall she’d been leaning on prior.

“Thank goodness, I can’t imagine anything happening to her…” Ilia hadn’t correct herself this time, and Weiss gave her a nervous look as she stepped towards the bars of her cell.

“Do you, I mean…Is there something going on between you and Blake?” Weiss knew it was natural for Ilia to worry about Blake, they’d been close and known one another far longer than anyone in Team RWBY after all. However, the blushing when they’d brought up Blake earlier had given Weiss the impression there was something more going on between them.

“Huh? Oh, no nothing like that!” Ilia raised her hands and frantically waved them to try and dismiss the idea, though her skin quickly shifted to a shade of pink, and she did her best to try and cover herself. With a frustrated mutter about the reflexive color changes, Ilia gave a weak smile to Weiss as if she could convince her she was telling the truth.

 “I get the impression it _is_ like that.” Weiss crossed her arms with a grin, and watched as Ilia squirmed on the ground before admitting defeat.

“Okay, so _maybe_ I had a thing for Blake years back and those feelings never _quite_ disappeared. It’s different now though I swear, we’re on two different paths, and things wouldn’t work out long distance. Besides, I’m hardly any competition for Sun…” Weiss gave a chuckle and Ilia gave her a flustered glare.

“It’s not Sun you have to worry about.” The color faded from Ilia as she tilted her head, confused by the implications. “You didn’t hear this from me, but at present she fancies a certain _other_ blonde haired individual.”

Ilia blinked a few times, her mind rattling off any other blondes she knew that traveled with Blake. Only one even came to mind, but she couldn’t imagine it being the correct assumption.

“You don’t mean Yang do you?”

“Bingo.”

“Oh, wow.” Ilia was surprised, and Weiss watched as she processed the fact that Blake fancied someone else. Her brow furrowed, thinking the whole thing over, the reality of the situation hitting her harder than she was prepared for. She’d always assumed Blake was with Sun, but that assumption had never been concrete. Hearing from Weiss that Blake had interest in someone else held far more weight.

“Is everything alright?” Weiss felt guilty delivering such information in place of Yang or Blake. She could tell Ilia had feelings for Blake, but she’d underestimated just how powerful those feelings were.

“Yeah it’s just unexpected was all. Seeing you and knowing Blake was in Atlas may have brought up some feelings all over again, I formed some ideas and well…” Shaking her head, Ilia clapped her hands against her cheeks in an attempt to break her from her current line of thought. “It’s not important, I’m just glad she’s happy.”

Weiss went to try and say something else, to try and comfort the girl, when her stomach let out another audible growl. She blushed and covered her stomach, and Ilia even let out a laugh. They shared a brief chuckle before letting silence take over.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all emotional like that.” Ilia did her best to smile, even if it looked like her eyes were on the verge of tears. “This is good though, I can let go knowing that she’s found someone to be happy with. We’ve each got our missions to work on anyways, it wouldn’t be right to try and force something like this long distance.”

“No I'm the one that's sorry, I shouldn’t have pried like that, it wasn’t any of my business.” Weiss reached awkwardly through the bars, attempting to offer a hug to Ilia, who just gave her an amused look.

“I appreciate the gesture but I don’t think having a cell door between us is very conducive for a decent hug. Besides, if I'd ever had a chance with Blake it was years ago, and I believe today's lesson was letting go of the past was it not?” Ilia chuckled again, her eyes watery as she watched Weiss drop her arms to the side.

“Well, then the moment I get out of here I’m in debt to you one comforting hug.” Weiss gave a grin to Ilia, who nodded and then looked back and forth through the tunnel before stepping forward and lowering her voice.

“Speaking of getting you out of here, I may have a few ideas, but you’ll have to wait until tonight before we can do anything. I’ve got some things to take care of, but try and avoid trouble if anyone else shows up. I’ll be back in a few hours with some food and hopefully a way out.” Ilia was staring intently down the tunnel that the miners had come and gone from, expecting that any moment someone was going to round the corner, perhaps looking to get in a few free hits on their captive Schnee.

“Alright, I’ll stay away for as long as I need until you come back.” Weiss and Ilia exchanged, and as Ilia set off down the tunnel. Just before she left out eyesight, Weiss hissed for her to wait a moment longer. “For what it’s worth, I’m sure you would’ve made Blake the happiest girl in the world.”

Ilia gave a soft smile, before turning and leaving Weiss alone, with only a flickering torch providing her any company. Taking a few steps back, she crouched down, leaning her head against the stone, and did her best to ignore the growing hunger in her stomach.


	3. A Breath of Fresh Air

Weiss watched as the small white ring formed in the palm of her hand. Expanding out, complex designs criss crossing as it grew, the image of a small white armored knight began to form. However, just as the figure took shape, her body shimmered a pale blue and both the knight and ring faded away. Wincing as her aura depleted, the bruises she’d sustained earlier still not completely healed, Weiss let out a lengthy breath wondering how long it had been since Ilia had left.

 

Standing up and approaching the bars hesitantly, Weiss peered down either side of the pitch black tunnel. It was becoming increasingly difficult to see as the torch across from her cell had begun to die down, the level of illumination gradually decreasing. As she stared down the only side of the tunnel she’d seen anyone use thus far, she thought she could see movement, a figure with a weapon drawn.

 

Immediately backing away from the bars of the cell, Weiss prepared for the worst. Word had no doubt gotten around the rebels that a Schnee had been captured, and it was no surprise to her that a disgruntled faunus would look to visit her, but as the tip of the blade came into view she recognized it as her own. A blackened hand, changing to a neutral tan as it came into the light, gripped the handle of Myrtenaster as Ilia emerged from the shadows.

 

A wave of relief rolled through Weiss as she resumed her position at the bars of the cell, watching as Ilia tip toed closer, constantly glancing over her shoulder.

 

“I was starting to get worried, is everything okay?” Ilia was still glancing over her shoulder as Weiss posed the question, before turning back with a nod and a grin. Handing Myrtenaster through the bars, she reached down to her belt and dangled the key ring in front of Weiss.

 

“You have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it was to get this. The fat oaf just kept rolling over every time I went to reach for it…” The pair chuckled, Weiss picturing the scene as Ilia undid the lock. With an audible click, the gate started to swing open, and the pair froze, listening intently for any other noises in the tunnels. Another moment later, the coast still clear, and Weiss stepped out of the cage and stretched her arms out.

 

“Well, step one accomplished. I assume you have plans for step two as well?” Weiss was inspecting her weapon, the handle of which felt rather oily, the blade looking worn as if it had been used to try and stab and slice at walls of stone around them. Grumbling to herself as she tried to polish it with her dress, she looked up to Ilia who was gesturing towards the unused path of the tunnel.

 

“Yeah, I got an idea or two. First thing though, how’s your aura doing? Worst case scenario do you think you can fight?” Ilia watched as Weiss activated her aura, the shimmer illuminating her body, before cracking and fading away just as fast. “Damn, I was afraid of that.”

 

“They were pretty thorough after they captured me. I’m not sure if they were just making sure to drain my aura, or more worried about getting as many hits in as possible.” Weiss spun the barrel of her weapon, groaning as she noticed that each dust cartridge had been expended as well. “At this point I’ve essentially got a run of the mill rapier, but I think I can hold my own.”

 

Ilia watched Weiss take a confident combat stance and nodded, before gesturing for her to follow down the other tunnel, a finger to her lips. Weiss went to reach for the torch, the dying fire still providing a bit of light, when Ilia stopped her.

 

“Faunus can see in the dark, it’ll be suspicious if there’s a torch moving through the tunnels.” Weiss looked between the torch and Ilia with a frown.

 

“Well  _ I  _ can’t see in the dark, so I’ll be even more ineffective in close quarters combat if I’m completely blinded!” Weiss protested and Ilia shushed her again, extending a hand out to the heiress.

 

“Just, stick close to me and stay quiet. If we’re lucky I’m fairly certain we won’t have to worry about fighting our way out anyways.” Ilia looked away from Weiss, her hand shaking a few times as she waited for Weiss to take it. Pursing her lips, glancing one last time at the torch, Weiss took the faunus girl’s hand and let her lead the way through the darkness.

 

Very quickly the world around Weiss became black, and the grip around her weapon tightened considerably.

 

“Ouch! Calm down, you’re crushing my hand.” Ilia stopped for a moment hissing back at Weiss. She hadn’t realized that the squeezing grip on the handle of Myrtenaster had also translated to the hand holding onto Ilia. After a brief apology, she did her best to take a few deep breaths and remain calm.

 

The sound of the stone beneath their feet, the blinding darkness, and the warmth of the other girl’s hand, Weiss did her best to remain calm and focus on any sensations she could. Unfortunately aside from being blind, there was a sense of discomfort being completely at the mercy of someone she hardly knew. Worries that Ilia may actually be with the rebels, that her hatred of the Schnee’s still existed even after she’d promised she was on their side…These thoughts quickly filled Weiss’s head and she suddenly felt Ilia’s hand slid away from her own.

 

“Wait, where-” A finger against her lips shut her up, and she could vaguely see Ilia’s outline draw closer.

 

“Hush up and just stay here a moment. We’ll be out of here in no time I promise.” The finger pulled away, and Weiss tried to extend her hands out to find her companion, but her hands simply grasped at the open air. Stumbling to the side, Weiss leaned against the wall of the cave for the smallest sense of support.

 

“Ah, Ilia. Headin out again are ya?” A gruff voice with friendly notes came from further in the cave.

 

“Yes sir Carna. Gonna head back into town to gather up some more supplies. Want me to sneak you back anything special?” Ilia sounded equally friendly with this Carna individual, and Weiss did her best to try and sneak inches closer in hopes to hear or see anything a little better. If this was someone she was friends with, did Weiss really need to hide like this?

 

“I think I’m doing mighty fine after the last batch of sweets you brought me. Gotta watch my figure ya know?” There was a loud slap, and Weiss made a face as she imagined some bloated figured slapping their belly. The ripples, the jiggling… Shaking her head to break the images, Weiss suddenly heard the sound of shifting stone. Dust was falling from the ceiling as the tunnel rumbled, and Weiss stumbled back, before everything went quiet again. Ahead, she could even see glimmers of light that hadn’t been there before.

 

“Thanks Carna, and I really need to apologize as well.” The friendliness in Ilia’s voice faded slightly, and the tunnel suddenly lit with a flash of blinding yellow light and a crackling noise. A thud up ahead told Weiss someone had collapsed, and she could see Ilia step back into the tunnel, waving for Weiss to catch up.

 

Approaching quickly, Weiss could see an indeed porky individual collapsed on the floor, smoke coming up from his body with a tiny scorch mark wrapped around his frame. Stepping past him, Weiss could still see him breathing, and Ilia stowed away her weapon.

 

“What happened?” Weiss watched as Ilia gestured to the tunnel that had cracks of lighting appearing at the end of it.

 

“Carna’s semblance lets him move stone around in any way he likes. Needless to say Atlas certainly enjoyed having him as a miner, but eventually he started to make all sorts of secret tunnels to hide away or help the injured. He’s done a lot for the faunus of Atlas.” Giving a sorrowful look down at Carna, feeling guilty for what she had to do, Ilia crouched down and placed a gentle hand on the unconscious man.

 

“If he’s so kind did you really have to knock him out like that? I’m sure he would have let us pass if you just explained the situation!” Ilia hadn’t seemed to hear Weiss, and had instead focused her attention to the out cold Carna.

 

“Sorry friend, but if it looks like we attacked you to get out I’m sure Kobichi won’t get any ideas.” Ruffling his hair, Ilia stood back up and gestured to what the rumbling had caused. A massive hole to the surface was letting in traces of moonlight, and with a bow, Ilia signaled for Weiss to head through first. “He'll be alright in a matter of minutes. Anyways, after you.”

 

The climb was manageable, the pair walking almost side by side as the smell of fresh air began to replace the dusty earth tones of the mines. A few minutes later, and the pair breached the surface, stepping out from behind some sizeable bushes into what looked like a park. Weiss was relieved to be free of the mines but her heart sank as she recognized where they’d popped out at. The tunnel had opened up to a park Weiss had spent a great deal of time in her youth, and while it once was beautiful and well kept, she saw how much had changed since her childhood. The stone paths were cracked and crumbling, the beautiful flowers that had lined the roads had all withered away, and everything had a sense of overgrowth. If Weiss had to guess, the even increasing size of the near quarry and mines had driven off anyone who’d held any interesting in the park, and it had fallen to ruin.

 

“Everything okay?” Ilia stepped out of the tunnel and gave a quizzical look to Weiss, who shook her head and sighed.

 

“Yeah, just remembering better times I suppose. Do you have your scroll on you?” Weiss returned her focus to the task at hand, and the pair started to distance themselves from the escape path in case anyone realized they were gone and attempted to follow.

 

“Of course, who are you calling?”

 

“The military of course, I’m sure they’ll be here in a matter of minutes once I contact them.” Ilia shifted nervously at the prospect of dealing with the Atlesian Military, especially with the growing threat of a faunus rebellion on the horizon. Still, she’d come this far, and unless she did anything to expose her nature she could likely pass through undetected as she always had.

 

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye out, just don’t go too far.” Weiss nodded as Ilia took a few steps away to gain a better vantage point over the park. Weiss watched as the girl’s skin changed into a number of colors and patterns, and had she not already had eyes on her, no doubt would’ve never noticed her.

 

“Caller, this is an unrecognized number calling a secure line, identify yourself.” A stern voice echoed through the private line she had dialed, and Weiss took a moment to compose herself.

 

“This is Weiss Schnee, I need to talk to-” Before Weiss could even finish her message the soldier on the other line had cut her off in surprise.

 

“Miss Schnee!?”

 

“Yes, I-” Weiss was cut off a second time as she heard the communications device being forcefully taken from the soldier. There were sounds of static and fumbling before a familiar voice came through Ilia’s scroll.

 

“Miss Schnee, is that really you?” The firm and professional tones of General Ironwood gave Weiss a comfort she hadn’t had in the past several hours. 

 

“General Ironwood! Yes it’s me, I need an escort out from Vienca park so that I can get back to my team as soon as possible. There will be one additional passenger as well.” Weiss’s eyes scanned around for Ilia, who she’d completely lost track of. Stepping closer to the tree near her to try and hide herself a little better, Weiss could hear Ironwood talking to soldiers on the other side of the line.

 

“I’ll have troops there as quickly as possible, and I’ll be sure to inform your father of you’re quick recovery.” Weiss could hear Ironwood start barking out orders, when Weiss interrupted him with her own request.

 

“Could we not inform father quite yet? I’m sure he’d do his best to try and force me back home, and a friend of mine is going to need to accompany me back as well. Needless to say, the Schnee home isn’t the best place for her.” Weiss knew Ilia could easily pass for human, but the risk of a faunus being found in the Schnee household wasn’t one she was willing to take. Ilia had just risked more than enough to save her once, and she needed to make sure Ilia had somewhere else to go before they parted ways.

 

“I’m afraid I don’t quite understand. If you simply wish to return to your team I can attempt to arrange that, but your father has been on my back ever since your disappearance to retrieve you. To hide this fact from Jacques…” Ironwood sounded impatient, and Weiss could only imagine how much tension had risen between the General and her father. The conversations she’d overheard months prior had held dangerous implications, and now that the entire city was on lock-down things had no doubt gotten worse.

 

“Well see, here’s the thing…”


	4. A Meeting With the General

Weiss and Ilia stood at the border of the forest, hiding just out of sight, as their eyes scanned the sky above. Ironwood had promised to send a convoy to their location as quickly as possible to transport the two up to the main city of Atlas, and that they best stay put until it arrived. Ilia was nervous, doing her best to maintain neutral tones of her skin as to avoid giving herself away. Even with Weiss promising her that no harm would come to anyone that was close to her, Ilia remained on guard as they saw a single ship begin to descend towards their location.

At first neither of them moved. They looked to one another unsure if they should reveal themselves to the craft or not as it landed in the road at the edge of the park. Somehow, they’d both expected something a little more... dramatic. Weiss had assumed that any military convoy responsible for a Schnee would be filled to the brim with ships, soldiers, and so forth, and yet there was only the one ship.

As the roar of the engines died down, the ship neatly touching down several yards from their position, the side of the ship slid open as three men stepped out onto the street. Weiss’s jaw dropped as the man in front adjusted the black cuffs of his otherwise pristine white military tailcoat. His stubble has remained somewhat maintained since she last saw him, however his hair, once a deep black with limited graying on the sides had changed dramatically. It had only been a few months since she’d last seen him, but he looked as if he had aged years.

“General Ironwood!” Weiss stepped from her hiding place and waved in the direction of the general and his soldiers. Immediately the two flanking him trained their weapons on her, to which Ironwood raised a hand, pointing in either direction for them to fan out and secure the area. Weiss turned back to Ilia, gesturing for her to come with, and the girl nervously stepped from the shadows, constantly glancing at her hands to make sure she hadn’t subconsciously began to change colors.

“Miss Schnee, it’s a pleasure to see you in decent health.” As the two drew closer, Ironwood gave a polite bow to Weiss, his eyes lingering on the bruises present on her exposed legs.

“Thank you sir. A hot meal and a night’s rest to restore my aura and I’ll be good as new.” Offering a bright smile to the general, who simply nodded, she watched as his attention turned to Ilia.

“You must be the one responsible for rescuing Miss Schnee. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Offering a similar bow to Ilia, who managed to limit any color changes to a brief blush of her cheeks, the general stood tall again and continued to gaze at the faunus girl.

“Yeah, I mean, yes sir! I’m Ilia Amitola. It’s nice to meet you.” Ilia awkwardly extended a hand out to the general, whose own were clasped firmly behind his back. His eyes traveled from the hand and back to her face with no sign he intended to exchange further pleasantries.

“I understand you’ve spent a great deal of time with the steadily growing faunus rebellion within the mines as well. Is there any information you would be willing to share with me to help nip this problem in the bud before things escalate further?” Ironwood’s expression had become somewhat colder than Weiss remembered. He looked tired, and as he stared at Ilia, she turned to Weiss unsure of what to do.

“General, with all due respect, I think we should-” Ironwood raised a hand to Weiss without even turning to her. His palm completely silenced her as he continued to stare down at Ilia, who took a step back. Weiss stared in disbelief at the rude gesture, an act she’d never expected the general to perform.

“Umm, General Ironwood, er- Sir, I don’t exactly view this as a situation that needs nipped. It’s simply a few faunus who wish for better working conditions is all, they’re hardly a threat. That’s why I’m here, to ease tensions and keep things from escalating.” Ilia attempted to give a confident look up to Ironwood, though he appeared unconvinced.

“I understand your view, believe me, but these rebels have gone so far as to kidnap the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. This has clearly already escalated beyond a few unhappy workers, and as Miss Schnee has kindly informed me, they have even managed to infiltrate various portions of my very own military. If you’re not willing to aid me in this, I can promise you things will only continue to get worst until this problem is dealt with.” The general’s eyes narrowed as Ilia gave another glance to Weiss, her eyes pleading for assistance.

“Is that why this escort is so small?” Weiss stepped to the side, her eyes locked on Ironwood who returned his hand to the formal position behind him.

“I’m afraid so. With the recall of all Atlesian forces, our numbers are at an all time high. It has become difficult to manage so many soldiers in such a confined space, and it’s clear our enemies have taken advantage of this.” Ironwood let out a drawn out sigh before resuming his focus on Ilia. “Now then, if you have anything to tell me…”

“Their leader is a man named Kobichi, he’s some sort of boar faunus, big tusks coming from a sizable overbite.” Weiss spoke up to draw the attention of the general back onto herself. “At least, he seemed to be in charge once I had been captured, so he must be important for the rebels.”

Ironwood’s stare lingered on Ilia a moment longer before he turned fully to Weiss. Withdrawing a small notepad and pen from the breast pocket of his uniform, Ironwood recorded this small bit of information.

“Is that everything?” Ironwood glanced back to Ilia, whose face had turned from his. Sensing the distrust, he lowered his voice and attempted to sound a touch more friendly than he had been. “I’m doing my best to seek a peaceful resolution for all of this, believe me. Without your help however, I can only proceed based on the information I have at hand, and so far that information points to a growing threat within Atlas.”

“I’m sorry sir, that’s the extent of my knowledge as well.” Ironwood gazed at Ilia for a long time, and while it was clear he felt she knew more, he did not push the matter further.

“Very well. In the event you happen to suddenly recall anything further, I trust you’ll inform me immediately.” Ilia gave a weak nod as the general turned back to Weiss.

“May we please depart to Upper Atlas then? I’m sure my team is worried, and I very much wish to change into a fresh set of clothing.” Weiss gestured down to her scuffed up dress, and the general nodded.

Whistling out to his soldiers, Ironwood glanced to either side as they returned to the ship, backpedaling with weapons pointed outwards in case of any unexpected guests.

“Of course. Miss Amitola, if you’d be willing to join us. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a fresh set of clothes and a warm meal yourself.” Ironwood’s mood shifted as he offered her a polite smile, extending an arm outwards to the ship.

“I don’t know, I think I should try and do some damage control before Kobichi goes on some sort of rampage once he realizes Weiss is gone.” Ilia glanced back to the forest, also feeling the need to apologize to Carna before he gets the wrong idea.

“You heard Kobichi though, if he finds out you helped me you might not even survive the trip to a cell. Come with me, at least for now. Besides, I’m sure the team would love to see you again.” Weiss grinned, and Ilia couldn’t help but admit she wouldn’t mind seeing Team RWBY again. Her mind skimmed across the memory that Blake’s heart had moved to another, but she gave a nod all the same.

“Alright, but just for a small visit. I am on a mission after all.” Ilia gave one last look to the park, before following after Ironwood and Weiss onto the transport. The soldiers hopped in behind them, and as the doors closed, the ship began to rise into the sky.

Weiss glanced out the window, her eyes skimming across the crater where Atlas had once rested. The city below had changed drastically since she’d visited it last, the constant expansion of the quarry causing the majority of citizens to relocate to the upper city. It had caused the area surrounding the mines to develop into slums, and Weiss could even see a small shanty town at the center of the pit.

“It’s terrible down there.” Ilia scooted close to Weiss, her finger tracing across the city below. “The human workers live closer to the wall, away from the mine and the factories, away from all the smoke. Some of the faunus don’t even have a place to live, they work and live in those tents and shacks within the mine. Getting paid or not, they can barely afford enough to eat, nonetheless ever dream of owning a home.”

Ilia shrank back in her seat as Weiss gazed down at the terrible state the quarry was in. She could just barely make out soldiers and paladins patrolling the quarry, before everything quickly disappeared below the clouds.

“I had no idea. I mean, I’d heard the stories, but I’ve never actually seen the conditions this close before. I promise you that I have no intention of letting the Schnee Dust Company continue to treat their workers like this.” Weiss scooted close to Ilia, wrapping a comforting arm around her and providing a reassuring look. “After we meet back with the team, I’ll go to my father and-”

“I’m afraid you misunderstand Miss Schnee.” Ironwood stepped through from the cockpit, Weiss and Ilia giving him confused looks. “Miss Amitola and yourself will not be returning to Team RWBY any time in the near future.”

“Excuse you?” Weiss dropped all formalities as she glared at Ironwood.

“You are both too valuable in such volatile times to be allowed to simply roam the city on your own. With my own military forces compromised, the risk to each of your lives is too great. You’ve already been captured once Miss Schnee, and I can assure you that in the event it happens again, these rebels won’t make the mistake of letting you go a second time.” Weiss stood to protest, but Ilia was already up.

“You don’t understand, if I can’t go back and talk to the faunus…” Ironwood raised a hand to silence her in identical fashion to how he’d silenced Weiss prior.

“If you really wish to help at this point, then I suggest you offer as much information as possible. I understand your unwillingness to turn on your own, especially when you’re so convinced that you can make a difference with words alone. However, words on their own are not enough to keep the council at bay for very long. Try as I might, Jacques is doing his damndest to talk the council into simply sweeping through the mines and cutting through anyone that resists.” Lowering his hands, Ironwood looked between the two of them and gestured back to their seats. “I would appreciate cooperation from you both until this matter has been resolved.”

“So where are you taking us then?” Weiss and Ilia resumed sitting, Ilia’s skin creeping up to an irate red, though some deep breaths restored the natural tan.

“A location you’re fairly familiar with, and one that I have made special arrangements for.” Weiss could sense that the ship had changed direction, and had begun to descend. Glancing out the window, her eyes fell across a massive structure that she hadn’t seen in years. It was the Schnee Family Summer Villa. 

 


	5. Settling In

“What the hell! Let us out of here!” Ilia had completely dropped any attempts to keep her emotions in check. Her skin and even her hair had been dyed in a vibrant red as she pounded against the doors in rage. On the other side of them, Ironwood was gently tucking away the key he’d used to lock the pair inside. Reaching for her weapon, Ilia met eyes with the guards posted outside, who raised their own.

“Ilia stop, please.” Weiss was giving Ironwood a dirty look, though she showed no signs of resistance. He’d allowed them to keep their weapons in case of emergency, however he’d confiscated Ilia’s scroll. Weiss’s had remained behind in her luggage back at the docks, though even if she’d brought it with her she had no doubt the rebels would have smashed it to bits.

“Stop? Are you serious? I just risked my life to get you out of a cell only to have us both be placed in another.” Shoving off from the door, Ilia glared at Weiss, who was looking at the floor in a passive stance. “You’re seriously just going to let him throw us in here and not even try and fight back?”

“What do you want me to do? You heard him, if we start causing trouble or try and escape he’ll throw us in literal cells for, in his words,  _ our own safety _ .” Weiss shook her head and let out a sigh. “Maybe he’s right though, this is the safest place for either of us to be at right now. I’m sure if we just wait patiently, Ironwood and the council will figure something out and…”

“We can’t afford to wait! I have a mission, and believe me, I know first hand the things that will happen if I’m not back in those mines to try and mediate.” Ilia’s eyes narrowed at Weiss, who looked away unable to respond. Rolling her eyes, Ilia shoved past Weiss and scoffed. “Letting others fight your battles for you; I should’ve figured you’d be just as cowardly as the rest of the Schnees.”

Weiss wanted to say something, to defend herself, but all she could do was gaze out the front doors as she watched Ironwood’s transport lift off into the air and leave the estate. Glancing at her hand, the small white summoning glyph spinning at her will, she watched as the guards outside the door once again took combative stances, and she let the glyph fade.

It wasn’t as if Weiss was particularly fond of the way things had turned out either. Still, things could have ended up worst. Weiss knew the general was suspicious of Ilia, but the fact he hadn’t tried to take her to an actual prison for questioning had been a miracle in and of itself. Without her fully restored aura, even if they had tried to hijack the ship from Ironwood, she doubted either of them knew how to pilot in the first place. There were so many factors at play that the only option they really had was to do as they were told and play nice.

At least for now.

Weiss took a heavy breath, feeling guilty she hadn’t tried to stand up for Ilia at least a little as Ironwood locked them away. She stepped through the halls of the villa, every window her eyes passed over showing a soldier on the other side. It was an entirely different situation than the last time she’d been here. It was a time when her family had seemed somewhat happy, before Winter left for the Military, and before Weiss’s eyes were opened to what the real world was like. Her fingers traced across a painting of the family; they were all so young and innocent back then, but as her eyes fell on her father, she sneered and turned away.

Ilia was right, they couldn’t stay here. As well intentioned as the general was, if he really was slowly losing influence over the council, her father would likely be barking out orders before long. The promise of wealth was a driving power in Atlas, and the longer the embargo went on, the more that wealth was threatened.

Still, moping around was unbecoming of the heiress, as was her current attire. Glancing down at the mess that had become her once beautiful dress, Weiss decided that before anything else happened, she should try and become at least a little more presentable. Making her way to the washroom, she turned on the hot water, and washed herself off. The attached bedroom, once belonging to her parents, was still as she remembered. The bed was tucked in neatly, pictures sat on bedside tables, and the pillows looked as if they’d never had a head pressed against them.

Going through the closet, Weiss searched through a number of outfits that had belonged to her mother. Weiss knew her own room was likely to be in a similar condition, clothes still neatly hung, but she would've outgrown them years ago. Checking through her mother's old outfits, some just a tad big for Weiss, she eventually made due with blue button up vest with a white dress shirt beneath. The shirt was tucked away within the belt line of matching blue dress pants, and Weiss tied her hair back in her signature ponytail. Checking her appearance in the mirror, Weiss left the room, the clicking of her heels echoed through the home as she did her best to find Ilia.

As Weiss walked through her old summer home, she pondered the various places Ilia could've ran off to. Even if they were barred from exiting the home onto the grounds, the main structure itself was massive. It wasn’t quite as large as their primary home, but one could easily and quickly become lost within. Given the head start Ilia had while Weiss had freshened up, she could be anywhere at this point. Fortunately, even after being away for years, Weiss knew every twist and turn of the building, so it was only a matter of time.

Door after door she searched through the numerous rooms that were scattered across the home. Ilia had certainly made the task of finding her difficult, and thinking back to the girl’s faunus ability, wondered if she was taking extra levels of precautions not to be found. Even worst, Weiss wondered if Ilia was already attempting an escape with the way she’d stormed off earlier. Weiss increased the rate of her search, until she heard a noise coming from one of the bedrooms. Silently stepping towards the door, pressing her ear close, she tried to make out the muffled sound coming from the other side. Cracking it open slightly, Weiss could see Ilia, her back to the door, hunched over on a bed.

Her skin had changed to a bright green, deep blue spots scattered across the surface, and even her hair had changed to a sapphire state. With the door open, Weiss was better able to recognize the sound she had heard. It had been the sound of Ilia crying.

“Ilia?” Weiss stepped in, speaking softly, and she saw the skin of the girl flare to a deep purple on all fronts. The rage she was still feeling, crossed with the misery she was going through, caused her skin to flicker between colors, before the tones settled back to the green and blue palette.

“I just can’t stand to be here right now. I’m already failing the first mission that was entrusted to me, and I can’t afford to fail. Not now, when things are just getting better…” Ilia wiped her eyes across her arms before glancing up to Weiss.

“I understand, but if you had gone back you would’ve been killed, and then you would have failed for sure. This is what’s best, at least for now.” Ilia rolled her eyes and looked away. “I’m not saying I plan to stay here very long either. I have my own mission with Ruby, Yang, Blake, and all the others as well. Neither of us can afford to be locked up, but at present we don’t have a choice, so we just have to make the best of it.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve seen this all before in the White Fang. You’d be surprised how little it takes to turn people to violence, to make them think that it’s the right approach to take. Kidnapping is one thing, but before you know it soldiers are going to vanish, officials will be at risk of similar kidnappings, maybe even assassinations. It’s only a matter of time before blood is spilled. Trust me, I know.” Ilia shrank in her seat, pressing her face against her knees as she pulled them up to her chest.

“Here, stand up. I still owe you that hug remember?” Weiss had crossed the room and now stood before Ilia, arms open. The faunus girl looked up at Weiss, who gave a weak smile and gestured for the girl to stand. After a moment of hesitation, she stood up and embraced Weiss. They held the hug for a moment, before Weiss pulled away and placed a hand of either of Ilia's shoulders looking her square in the eyes. “It’s all going to be alright, believe me, but first you have to stop trying to think that it’s your job to carry this burden all on your own.”

“I can’t though. This is  _ my _ mission, I have to do this, to make up for everything else I’ve done with my life. If I fail now, then maybe I never deserved a second chance.” Ilia shook her head and slumped back down onto the bed. Weiss was at the least pleased to see the greens and blues had started to fade away after their brief hug.

“You sound just like Blake.” Weiss chuckled and sat beside the girl, who was confused by the comparison. “For nearly two semesters our team spent all of our free time trying to track her down because she was convinced it was  _ her _ job to take on the White Fang all by herself.”

“That sounds like Blake alright, she always tried to tackle problems head on. I think that’s why she was always Adam’s favorite…” Ilia frowned, thoughts of time with Adam frustrating her further as she thought back on all the terrible things she’d done in her life.

“But.” Ilia snapped out of it as Weiss continued. “Once she started to let us in, once she asked us for help and decided to stop being alone, we made so much progress. We put away Roman Torchwick, protected each other during the fall of Beacon, and more recently with the help of Yang she put an end to Adam Taurus.” 

Wiping her eyes again, Ilia's gaze turned to the floor maintaining her sullen expression.

“Blake had so many people to ask for help though. I don’t have anyone, and even if I tried to ask for help I can’t imagine there are many faunus who are willing to forgive me. At least not yet anyways. I’ve done terrible things Weiss, things that are irredeemable, and I wouldn’t blame anyone if they never found it in their hearts to forgive me.” Ilia was still looking at the floor when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Weiss pulled her in closer, hugging tighter than the one moments ago, and Ilia couldn’t help but break down. Tears rolled out as her skin returned to the blue and green hues from earlier.

“I promise you, things will be okay. I know it seems like you’re alone in this, but I can assure you that you have friends who would be more than willing to help. After all, I'm one of them.” Weiss released the hug, giving Ilia enough space to turn and look up at her. “My family has done horrible things too, and seeing first hand what the Schnee Dust Company is responsible for, I have a lot of ground to cover as well. However, just because it's our mission, that doesn't mean we have to face these problems on our own. Never forget that.”

“You’d really be my friend, even after all the White Fang has done? After everything  _ I _ have done?” Ilia looked at Weiss, feeling unsure of herself. It seemed impossible for someone, especially a Schnee of all people, to suddenly be offering her friendship.

“Of course Ilia. I don’t know all the details of your past, but what I do know is everything you’ve done since I met you. You saved hundreds of lives back in Mistral, and just today, you saved  _ my _ life. Whoever that girl was, the girl in the White Fang that did all those terrible things, that’s not who you are anymore. Right now, the person you are at this very moment, is someone I would be proud to be able to call a friend.” Weiss’s eyes teared up a little and she wiped them against her sleeves as she watched Ilia’s skin tones steadily resume their default colors.

“I’d like that, I could really use a friend right now.” Ilia’s sniffles slowly ceased as she wiped at her own eyes, giving a soft and genuine smile to Weiss. The pair sat in silence for a few moments, simply letting their emotions play out inside, before their stomachs groaned in unison.

“I also think the both of us could use something to eat as well.” The pair giggled as Ilia wiped away the last of her tears, and Weiss stood up with a grin while extending a hand to Ilia.

“That’s probably a good idea.” Ilia nodded and took Weiss’s hand, hopping up from the bed and trailing behind her into the halls outside.

“Since I imagine we’re going to be here for a little while, the least I could do is give you a tour of the place. It’ll probably be good to help get our minds off of the situation at hand, at least for a little while.” Ilia pursed her lips, having not yet fully realized just how enormous the villa was, and kept close to Weiss as she led the pair through what quickly felt like some elaborate and well decorated labyrinth.

“This place is massive, even Blake’s home can hardly compare.” Weiss blushed as she watched Ilia gaze up at the high ceilings and various marble statues. Paintings of her family, and others of beautiful scenery from around Remnant were also hung, perfectly straight and without a hint of dust.

“My family has always had some rather extravagant tastes. I think it’s a tad too much personally, but I’ve learned to live with it.” Weiss shrugged, trying her best not to sound braggy, though Ilia didn’t comment.

“Aren’t you worried that they’ll show up at some point? If this is your family’s summer home isn’t there a chance they could suddenly drop by for a visit?” Ilia glanced out the windows, soldiers glancing in at them as they walked, and Weiss shook her head.

“The last time the family visited this place was the summer before Winter left for the Atlas Academy. Father wished her to stay home and continue to develop skills that would best help the company, and even went so far as to cut her off financially, but she never came back. It caused a bit of a rift in the family, and needless to say summer vacations became less prominent.” Weiss lingered at a painting of Winter from years ago; It had been painted shortly before she left for the academy. It was heartbreaking to see her sister go, but her confidence had been inspiring enough for Weiss to follow in her footprints.

“I’m sorry to hear that. This place is so beautiful it’s such a shame that it’s gone unused for so long because of something like that.” Ilia gave Weiss a gentle touch on the shoulder, and Weiss smiled softly before turning from the painting to continue the tour to their original destination: the kitchen.

“Do you have any preferences?” Going through the cupboards, refrigerator, and cupboards, Weiss was impressed to find the kitchen as freshly stocked as ever. It appeared that Ironwood had been busy making other arrangements during their retrieval.

“Oh I couldn’t ask you for anything like that. I’m sure I can find something to whip up.” Ilia tried to follow Weiss into the cooking area, admiring how polished and clean everything was. She couldn’t even recognize some of the features on the stove, wondering what bizarre technologies Atlas had developed for something so simple as cooking food.

“I insist. You’re technically a guest in my home, even if we’re both here against our will.” Weiss chuckled as she donned a sky blue cooking apron, tying it off behind her, and shooing Ilia from the kitchen.

“I appreciate it I do, but seriously…” Ilia continued to protest as she was being scooted towards a dining table.

“If you really do want to help, then you can set the table and then wait right here, okay?” Weiss gestured to some cupboards nearby containing what Ilia had no doubt was very expensive dining ware. 

“Okay okay, I get the picture.” Ilia still felt like she could at the very least make her own food, but figured by this point it would just be rude to protest any longer. Setting her weapon in the corner, Ilia looked through all the dishes she could select from. Lifting a plate, Ilia’s eyes then glanced to a bowl, and she frowned as she realized she didn’t even know what sort of meal to set the table for.

Turning around to try and ask Weiss, she realized the other girl was already gone, and decided to set the table with a bit of everything. One of each type of silverware, a plate, a bowl, and another smaller dish just in case. Ilia frantically stared at the disorganized placement of it all, wondering if there was a specific way everything should rest. Desperately she tried to recall how meals were served at the Atlesian prep school she’d attended.

_ Did the forks and knives sit together? Or was it be the fork and spoon? What are these tiny plates even for anyways? _

Tugging at her hair, Ilia quickly just set all the dishes on one side, the utensils on another, and walked out of the room just so she wouldn’t have to look at it anymore. Instead, even against Weiss’s wishes, she headed back to the kitchen where she could already hear the hissing of some sort of cooking oil. Poking her head in, she was surprised with how much had already been spread out across the originally spotless counter. 

Cartons of eggs, breads and cheese, bowls of fruits and vegetables, and a sizable slab of meat Ilia could only imagine had been some sort of fowl. Her jaw dropped at the sheer amount of food Weiss was preparing, when Weiss spotted her poking her head around the corner.

“I couldn’t exactly figure out the table settings so I thought I’d come back to see what we were having. I might need to put out a few more plates.” Ilia pursed her lips and stepped out from where she’d been peeking from. Weiss merely chuckled as she went about her work and shook her head.

“It looks like a lot I promise you but this’ll be a fairly manageable meal. There may only be two of us, but this way we can have an abundance of leftovers and we won’t have to worry about cooking for a while.” Weiss offered a smile as she flipped some form of omelette through the air, catching it gracefully before dashing it with numerous seasonings.

“I appreciate this, though I really wish I could help at least a little.” Even if Ilia wanted to step in to help in the cooking, her eyes could barely follow anything Weiss was doing. The second she was worried something was getting burned, Weiss had already taken care of it, as well as nearly a dozen other things. It was impressive to watch the girl work, and Ilia wondered if there was anything Weiss  _ didn’t _ excel at. At this point if Ilia stepped into the kitchen odds are she’d only act as a burden.

“It’s fine, trust me. You saved my life today, so let me do the heavy lifting. It’s part of being a good host after all. Another part is picturing the look on Father’s face if he discovered I was in the kitchen preparing food for a faunus.” Weiss smirked to herself as she started to turn the burners off, sliding a variety of instruments and tools into the nearby sink to be cleaned up later. “Now then, I guess it wouldn’t hurt if you helped me carry some of this to the other room. Then we can try and work out the table setting problem.”

Ilia gave a nod, her nose twitching constantly as one aroma after another took up her senses. Her mouth had started watering before she’d even realized, and she scooped up a plate of meat and some form of melon that had been carved out in the shape of a flower. Not only did the food smell good, it looked beautiful, as if it would be a sin to eat it instead of simply look.

As the table quickly piled up with a variety of dishes, including a rather plump stuffed bird, Ilia sat across from Weiss and found herself unsure of where to even start. Weiss had already sliced herself off some of the meat, plucked a few juicy petals from the flower melon, and poured herself a glass of what Ilia assumed was some sort of pricey mineral water. She was overwhelmed, never having seen so much food in one place in her life.

“Everything okay?” Weiss dabbed at her mouth with a napkin she had tucked neatly into the neck of her vest, glancing across to Ilia who looked like she was about to panic.

“Maybe? I’ll be honest this is sort of a new experience for me. I haven’t had a home cooked meal since…” Ilia’s skin faded to a pale green, memories of her own family and the accident that had taken them. Shortly after that she had left school to join the White Fang, things like home meals becoming a thing of the past.

Weiss stood and walked around the table to Ilia, putting a gentle hand on her back and smiling down.

“It’s okay, I’ll get you started and then if you fancy one thing more than another feel free to help yourself to as much as you like.” Ilia pursed her lips and nodded as the colors of her body returned to normal, and she watched as Weiss took each dish laid out and went from plate to plate at the table getting Ilia a little bit of everything. She felt suddenly like a kid, her parents taking care of her, preparing dinner and setting the table. It was a strange feeling, but after all she’d been through, it was comforting, and she managed a small smile as Weiss set the food before her.

“Th-thanks Weiss. I’ll admit this whole day has been a little weird to me. Thank you for staying positive through all of this and dealing with…well dealing with me. You make being essentially held prisoner feel not so bad.” Ilia lifted a fork, and doing her best to imitate Weiss’s manners, jabbed at a slice of meat on the plate, trying to chew it as delicately as possible. The flavors were incredible, and it took nearly all of her self control not to scarf it down.

“Trust me, this isn’t the first time I’ve been held against my will. I don’t just mean the incident in the mine either.” Weiss chuckled as the two ate, Ilia constantly shooting quick glances at Weiss to make sure she was eating each food item in an appropriate fashion. “Honestly I feel like the whole damsel in distress trope is growing a bit old, but until today I’ve been fairly decent at breaking myself out.”

“That hardly sounds healthy, but I’m not exactly one to talk. Although, I’m usually the one doing the uhh…nevermind.” Ilia cursed at herself, though Weiss did give a light chuckle as she finished the sentence in her head. Ilia gave a forced and somewhat awkward laugh, before returning her focus to making it through as much food as she could.

The two spent the remainder of the meal in silence, the only sounds between them was that of silverware and the food. Ilia continued to eyeball Weiss from time to time, trying to copy the girl’s eating habits as closely as possible. 

_ Pinky out to set the glass down gently, don’t slurp the soup, cut off small bites for the meats… _

Before long, the two of them had cleared their plates at least twice through. After some nervous thoughts about thirds, they both agreed that they’d had their fill for the evening and that it was about time to clean up. One by one, they transported the remainder of the meal to the kitchen to save for later.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had such an amazing meal in my life.” Ilia closed the door to the refrigerator as they finished packing away massive amounts of leftover food. She’d taken a liking to a few of the offerings, and knew what she’d spend most of her time eating for however long they’d end up staying.

“Why thank you, I haven’t had the opportunity to cook for someone in quite a while. It’s good to know my skills haven’t gotten rusty; Father always insisted we have the help take care of the cooking, the cleaning, and so forth. Still, I’d often sneak into the kitchen and Klein would set me up on a little stool to help with lunch.” Weiss giggled to herself as the pair looked at the now clean kitchen, aside from the dishes piled in the sink.

“I guess I can take care of-” Weiss shook her head.

“Don’t worry about them. After a day without sleep and a huge meal like that, I think what the both of us need is a good night’s sleep.” Ilia glanced at the pile of dishes, thoughts of sneaking back here to clean them up crossing her mind, when she found herself letting out a yawn. Raising a hand to her mouth to quickly stifle it, Weiss giggled again and motioned for Ilia to follow.

Soon the pair were in a lengthy hall with a set of three doors, each spaced a great distance apart from one another. Opening the first door, Ilia recognized it as the room she’d been crying in earlier. They’d taken such a different route than the one she’d used earlier to get here she didn’t even realize it was the same place at first..

“This was Winter’s room. You’ve already found it so you’re welcome to stay here if you like. We’re on the second floor so it’s not like any guards will be peeping inside.” Leading Ilia inside and past the bed, she opened a series of doors in the back. “There’s a closet with spare clothes, I’m guessing most of them are from years back so they should fit just fine. Washroom with shower, bath, and plenty of towels.”

Again Ilia found herself both impressed and slightly bothered by such excessive signs of wealth. The size of the room would be enough for at least a handful of people to sleep in, but it was all designed for a single person. Even more astonishing was a massive framed portrait of what Ilia assumed was Winter Schnee that she somehow hadn’t managed to spot the first time she was in here. Following Weiss back out, she watched as she pointed to the second door along the hall.

“The next door over is mine, the room is similar though the art is of me.” Weiss cheeks took on a light blush, becoming a little self conscious of all the family portraits around the villa containing images of her as a child. Shaking it off she gestured to the final room at the end of the hall, her smile and blush fading in an instant. “At the end is my brother Whitley’s. If you ever need to vent some frustrations in a more  _ physical _ fashion, feel free to tear it to pieces.”

Ilia gave a slight chuckle, thinking that the sibling rivalry was cute, however her tune quickly changed we she saw the death glare Weiss was giving the door. Coughing awkwardly, Ilia looked back to the door to Winter’s room.

“Are you sure it’s alright to stay in your sister’s room? Isn’t that sorta weird?”

“At this point I’d hardly assign any room in this house to anyone. It’s been at least a decade since anyone stayed here, so feel free to take the art off the walls and set it somewhere else. Prisoner or not, this is partly my house after all, and as a friend I give you full permission to make yourself completely at home.” Ilia nodded slowly, still hesitant staying in such an amazing home that belonged to people she’d never even met before. At this point though, she was so exhausted that all she could think about was a warm bath and a night’s rest.

“Alright, I think I can handle that.” Ilia still wasn’t completely comfortable with the situation, but realizing she didn’t exactly have any other options either, she decided the best thing to do at this point is to just make the best of it. Weiss was right, and being a prisoner or not, she would make sure to take full advantage of everything this home had to offer. “After all it’s like they say. When in Mistral…”


	6. An Unexpected Guest

As Weiss woke from her dreams, a few blissful moments spent ignorant of everything that had happened in the two days, she was quickly brought back up to speed when she went to stretch and was met with a great deal of pain. Lifting her nightgown to glimpse at the bruises that still covered her legs, Weiss hesitantly tapped at one of her injuries and flinched. Her body ached, and as she closed her eyes for a moment to focus, a shimmer of white flowed over her body as her aura activated. Giving the bruises a last look, seeing the masses of purple steadily returning to her default pale skin tones, she slid out of bed to prepare for another wonderful day of imprisonment.

As she exited the washroom, having freshened up and selected a new set of clothes for the day, Weiss's, nose began to twitch as a faint yet familiar smell entered her room. Her exhausted mind immediately recognized the scent, it having belonged to something already at the forefront of her thoughts.

_ Coffee… _

Stepping from the room wearing a navy blue top with a matching knee length skirt and wedged heels, Weiss slowly trudged from her room and down the hall that contained the rooms that had once belonged to her siblings. Approaching Winter’s old room, currently occupied by Ilia, she cracked open the door just enough to peer inside. Giggling to herself, Weiss could see Ilia sprawled across the sheets, parts of her covered, others not, as she held the most peaceful expression. It took Weiss several moments to realize her stare had begun to linger, before she shut the door and slowly made her way to the kitchen.

The sun coming in from the outside hurt her eyes, and even as she blocked it out with a hand, the sight of soldiers still maintaining their patrols just on the other side of the glass was an equally painful thing to see. Even her family home didn’t tend to keep this much security around; it was insane to think about the measures the general was taking to keep the two of them “safe”. The kitchen came into view as Weiss turned a corner, and her eyes immediately tunnel visioned a hot pot of coffee with some mugs set out beside it.

“Good morning Weiss, I’m pleased to see that you’re recovering nicely. I hope you had a decent night’s sleep considering all you’ve been through.” A voice she recognized, but at first didn’t register entirely, addressed her in a formal manner. Her focus was entirely attached to the caffeinated elixir that she responded almost out of instinct.

“I'm still a little sore of course, but my aura will have me good as new in no time. As for my sleep, it was heavenly. It’s been quite some time since I slept in such a wonderfully comfortable bed.” As she poured the coffee and took a lengthy sip, taking her time to savor the taste, she turned in the direction of the person to whom she was speaking.

“I would hope your friend is experiencing such sleep as well. After all, she did rescue my sister and kept her from becoming leverage for a rebellion.” Weiss blinked a few times as she rubbed her sleepy eyes in disbelief. Sitting at the table in full military garb whilst sipping coffee, eyes skimming a paper, was her elder sister Winter Schnee. The woman’s white coat was worn over a navy blue vest, and was accompanied by matching white dress pants. At her waist, even whilst sitting at a table, was her custom sabre. Turning her attention from the paper, Winter offered Weiss a polite smile.

“Winter!” Weiss suddenly felt wide awake as she nearly ran to embrace her sister. Just as quickly as she’d started though, she’d stopped. Remembering her manners, Weiss instead gave a polite curtsy, and Winter returned the gesture, standing with a bow.

“It’s good to see you Weiss, though I’d expected to have seen you sooner and in somewhat... different circumstances.” Winter’s eyes, just a blue shade darker than Weiss’s, turned and focused to a soldier peering in from outside the window. As Winter narrowed her eyes, the guard stepped away and quickly returned to his route.

“Well, unfortunately the general is convinced that this is what’s best for Ilia and myself. I understand his intentions, but the two of us are perfectly capable of handling ourselves.” Weiss frowned as she took another sip of her drink and took a seat at the table across from Winter. With a bit of a prideful expression, Weiss let a small summoning glyph twirl around in her hand. “I’ve even mastered summoning.”

“Oh have you? I believe last time we spoke you were struggling quite a great deal with that technique. I look forward to a demonstration of your ability the next time an opportunity arises.” Winter took a sip of her own coffee and returned to her seat. Turning the page of the paper she was reading through, she smirked slightly up at Weiss. “Be that as it may, you still managed to end up having yourself captured and beaten by a group of rebels almost as soon as you stepped into Atlas. I feel that somewhat disproves your theory that you can handle yourself.”

“Hey, that ambush was set up by someone dressed up like an Atlesian soldier, so if anyone is to blame for that, it’s the military. I can’t expected to be on guard  _ all _ the time. How could anyone handle that type of paranoia!” Weiss frowned as Winter attempted to undermine her abilities. Nothing could’ve prepared her to be attacked by what she’d assumed were Atlas forces for seemingly no reason. Why should she feel like this was somehow her own fault?

“Believe me, that fact has been made more than clear over the past two days.” A sour expression crawled across Winter’s face, and the paper in her hand began to crumple as her hand tightened into a fist. “What is supposed to be the most efficient and powerful military force in all of Remnant is being made a fool of by those animals. Every day we find more and more of them in increasingly sensitive areas. It’s absolutely humiliating…”

“What do you mean by that?” Weiss felt like her ears were ringing as her sister referred to the faunus as _animals_. It sounded just like something her father would say.

“I meant exactly what I said Weiss. The faunus have been nothing but a thorn in the side of humanity for the past several years, and are becoming increasingly dangerous every day. I’m sure you understand this of course; your team had a run in with a White Fang assault on Haven not long ago correct?” Winter raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by her sister’s response. Tilting her head to the side she frowned as Weiss’s expression grew frustrated.

“Haven was _ saved  _ by the faunus I’ll have you know, and not all of them are like those in the White Fang. All the faunus want is for humanity to treat them as equals; some of them just happen to be trying to obtain that dream through means of violence instead of peace. Trying to judge them all by the actions of a few and calling them animals…” Weiss couldn’t believe she was even having this conversation with Winter. The words coming out of her sister's mouth made Weiss feel like she was back home listening to her father go on and on about how much he loathed the faunus.

“Not too long ago you would have agreed with me on this. Have you already forgotten everything our family has gone through over the years? Even as children we were exposed to so much violence: friends of the family going missing, board members being publicly executed by the faunus… Does all that mean nothing to you?” Winter gave a cold stare to Weiss as she struggled to find a response.

“No, I haven’t forgotten Winter. I understand that the White Fang has been responsible for a number of cruelties, and our family knows it better than anyone, but that doesn’t give us the right to treat all faunus like they’re terrorists! Besides, with Adam Taurus dead, the White Fang are a thing of the past. We need to take this opportunity to make amends, to make peace while we still can. The faunus are  _ not _ our enemy, believe me.” Weiss recalled the helplessness she’d felt shortly after the train to Argus had derailed. As Jinn revealed to her the true enemy of humanity and faunus alike, and Ozpin admitted that he had no idea how to stop any of it, Weiss had realized just how petty the rest of the world’s problems really were.

“You na ï ve girl...” Winter frowned and shook her head in disappointment.

“Excuse me?” Weiss stood, completely dumbfounded and somewhat offended by the statement. If anything, it was Winter that was truly in the dark. As favored as she was by Ironwood, she doubted that Winter knew next to anything about the big picture. Weiss wondered if even Ironwood himself knew as much as she did now.

“The faunus are clever, and excel at playing dead. You think just because Adam Taurus and the White Fang are at an end then everything will simply work itself out? Believe _me_ when I say that is not how things work: the rebel group forming in the mines is proof enough of that. While you relax and pat yourself on the back for taking down one group of terrorists, another one is already forming, waiting for an opportunity the moment you let your guard down. That kind of thinking is precisely the reason you ended up a hostage to begin with.” Winter continued to shake her head whilst rising from her seat and setting down her empty mug.

“You’re wrong. The faunus here are simply looking for better working conditions and equal treatment. Groups like the White Fang form because of things like the Schnee Dust Company that make the faunus feel as if they have no other options. They want peace, but if we aren’t willing to negotiate and only continue to oppress them-” Winter let out a laugh and Weiss clenched her fists as she watched her sister mock her.

“Is that what your friend has been telling you? That other girl that Ironwood has locked up with you, is she the one feeding you all of this nonsense?” Speaking to Weiss with a condescending tone, Winter rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. “It’s hard to imagine my own sister could end up so impressionable. I’d have hoped you would know better.”

“Exactly what are you implying? That Ilia is actually part of these rebels and rescuing me was some insane plot to take advantage of my friendship?” This entire conversation was starting to wear on Weiss’s nerves. What she’d expected to be a polite and refreshing visit from her sister was quickly turning into a heated argument. Weiss couldn’t recall having held such contempt for someone in quite some time.

“Tell me Weiss, what do you know about this girl?” Winter raised an eyebrow, stepping around the table and into a more open space. The heels of her boots clicked across the porcelain floors as she turned from Weiss, waiting patiently for a response.

“What do you mean?” Weiss narrowed her eyes as she wondered what exactly Winter was getting at.

“I mean, what do you actually know about this faunus girl whom you call a friend. Do you know her hobbies and interests? Her fears? Her past? Perhaps the name of her hometown, or maybe something as simple as her favorite color?” Winter turned, a smug expression as she watched Weiss struggle for answers.

Weiss’s eyes darted side to side as she tried to think. She’d only met Ilia recently, and even then it wasn’t as if they’d ever had any one on one conversations before yesterday. What she knew, Ilia’s past in the White Fang, would only serve to benefit Winter’s argument, but aside from that…

“Well no, not yet. Blake trusts her though! If Blake says she’s okay then…” Winter laughed and shook her head once more.

“Ah yes, Blake Belladonna, your  _ faunus _ team member. A team member whose father, if I’m correct in remembering, was once a leader of the White Fang. A team member who, as a faunus, would be more than willing to vouch for another member of her own kind. Is that really the best you have Weiss?” Winter’s expression had turned cold again, and as she began to take steps towards Weiss, Weiss found herself taking a step back.

“That’s not fair. Blake has been nothing but an ally to me since I met her. She was even responsible for uniting the faunus and bringing them to Haven to  _ fight _ the White Fang. Haven, that may I remind you, was completely abandoned by paranoid Atlesian forces shortly before the attack.” Weiss regained a hint of her own confidence, and took a step towards her sister.

“Well, good for her that after a few kind deeds her word is decent enough to give you complete trust in a total stranger you know nothing about. Now I’ll tell you what  _ I _ know about her. I know that before being taken here, Ilia Amitola was staying within the mines providing aid to the Rebels. I  _ know _ that ever since the pair of you were ‘rescued’ that she has given us absolutely no information that would aid us in ending this rebel threat before it spirals beyond our control.” Weiss went to speak, but Winter’s continued approach caused her throat to feel tight. Weiss was back on the defensive, and found herself once again losing ground as she backed away. “That’s not all either. Intelligence suggests that before she was spending time with  _ this _ terrorist group, she was a member of yet another:  _ the White Fang _ .”

Weiss found herself pushed back against the table. Winter’s onslaught of accusations had given her a somewhat unhinged expression in her eyes. At first Weiss hadn’t noticed it, but as Winter had drawn closer, small details had begun to reveal themselves. Winter’s face had aged a great deal in similar fashion to General Ironwood’s: Her eyes had developed bags beneath them, her hair had become slightly less kept, and it appeared she’d lost some weight since they’d seen each other last. The stress of her time in Atlas had had an effect, and Weiss couldn’t help but begin to feel sorry for her sister. Regardless, none of this was an excuse for how she was treating Ilia.

“You know what I know Winter? I know that Ilia might not have told me about her past, shared anything about her childhood, or told me something as useless as what her favorite color is, but none of that matters to me.” Weiss stepped from the table, and as she glared daggers at Winter, was pleasantly surprised to see her elder take a step back. “While Ilia might not have told me much, she has shown me and my friends more support than anyone else has in a long time. She risked her life to save hundreds back in Mistral, faunus and human alike. Then, just yesterday, she risked her life to save  _ me _ . Ilia hasn’t told me much, but in the short time I've known her, she’s shown me more than enough to earn my trust  _ and _ my friendship.”

“None of that excuses…” Winter tried to argue back, and Weiss clenched her fists tighter as she shouted in response.

“That’s  **_enough_ ** .” Stomping a foot on the ground, Weiss could see a burst of light appear beside her. As she turned her head, Weiss’s gaze traveled up the massive frame of the Arma Gigas, which appeared in a brilliant glowing white from the summoning glyph at its feet. As the Gigas held a neutral position, awaiting instructions, the door burst open and a pair of soldiers rushed in with their weapons raised in preparation to attack.

Winter raised her hand to the guards, who halted their approach. Even having stopped, each guard kept their weapon trained on the massive armored being ready to fire at a moments notice. As her eyes scanned the summon, shock still in her system from Weiss’s sudden outburst, they soon found their way back to her younger sister and lingered for a time. Composing herself, Winter adjusted a few stray hairs that had fallen across her face during the altercation. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Winter returned to a more formal posture.

“It was pleasant seeing you Weiss. I do hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” There was a subtle shakiness to Winter's voice as she dismissed herself. Turning away from Weiss, Winter’s boots tapped across the floor as she made her way from the kitchen. With a snap of her finger, the two guards lowered their weapons and followed quickly behind her and out of the villa.

Weiss could hear the click of a lock as Winter disappeared behind the front doors. Even with her sister out of sight, Weiss’s feet remained firmly planted where she’d been standing. Listening intently, eyes focused entirely on the doors, Weiss could hear the familiar sounds of a transport ship preparing for flight. There was a burst of sound, and out of the corner of her eye Weiss could see Winter’s personal vessel leaving the grounds.

As the sounds of the airship faded, Weiss began to feel her entire body loosen up. Her fists had been clenched so tightly that her nails had been digging into her palms. Without her aura to protect her, she may have even started to bleed. Feeling faint as the adrenaline coursing through her system steadily faded away, Weiss took several large breaths to help calm down. It all had felt so unreal, and realizing that the Arma Gigas summon was still at her side, Weiss quickly dismissed the temporary being. As she watched it vanish, Weiss could see someone else steadily come into view several yards past where it had been standing.

Across the room stood Ilia. She had changed into a fresh set of Winter’s old clothes, and as her eyes met Weiss’s, her skin gradually changed to a bright yellow as tears began to streak across her cheeks.

“Weiss…”


	7. The Smile in the Mirror

“She’s right you know.” Ilia and Weiss had moved to a lounge within the home. They were sitting beside one another sipping from mugs of coffee and struggling with an awkward silence. Ilia had been overjoyed to see Weiss standing up for her, but after a brief thankful embrace, the two had found themselves unsure of what to do next.

“I’m sure Winter didn’t mean all those nasty things she said.” Weiss shook her head, setting her mug down on a coaster and turning to Ilia.

“No, of course not. Calling the faunus nothing but a bunch of animals was just taken completely out of context.” Ilia shook her head as she stared down at the amber fluid in her cup. With her lips curling, Ilia replayed in her mind everything she’d heard Winter shout about the faunus, and about her, over and over again. Her eyes shifted between color after color as she looked into her own reflection.

“I’m not excusing Winter for any of it, what she said was wrong, but I promise you she’s not normally like that.” Ilia looked up to Weiss looking somewhat unconvinced. So far Ilia’s impression of the Atlesian Military was less than stellar, and Weiss let out a sigh as she read Ilia’s expression. “Last time I was home, I overheard my father talking with the general. Apparently the dust embargo was just the first step in preparing Atlas for war. Now they have the entire fleet in standby, and everyone is just waiting for  _ something _ to happen.”

Ilia turned, her eyes scanning the skies outside the window. With the bright and beautiful morning, the sky was perfectly clear. The only thing floating above aside from a stray cloud, was the small corner of an Atlesian Cruiser holding position above the city. There were dozens more just like it that were holding similar positions, and they had been even before Ilia had arrived in the mines a short time ago.

“Ironwood is worried, and not just about us. He’s taking precaution after precaution, the entire military is, and the more precautions they take against whatever new threat they think is on the horizon, the worst things are going to get.” Weiss reached out, placing a hand on Ilia’s own as she turned back from the window. “I’ve never known Winter to behave that way, but with as strung up as the military is right now she’s clearly not thinking straight. This isn’t just about the faunus, and this isn’t about you, I promise.”

Weiss offered Ilia a smile, and while the other girl appreciated the gesture, she continued to frown and shake her head.

“Still, the part about us… You don’t know the first thing about me outside of having been in the White Fang. It’s hard to believe you stand up for me like that to your own sister when we’re practically strangers.” Ilia watched as Weiss gave it a moments thought. After a second, the heiress simply shrugged.

“Well, I’ve got time.” Weiss kept her grin and Ilia raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she was implying.

“Time?”

“We haven’t exactly planned our escape yet, and from Winter’s reaction I doubt the general is likely to let us go any time soon. With that in mind, I’d say we have plenty of time for the ‘get to know you’ stuff.” Ilia blinked and her lips cracked into a smile as she tried to even imagine where to start.

“Are you sure about that?” Ilia kept her grin, though her lips pulled in slightly as she thought about her own history.

“Of course.” Weiss nodded, thinking to the argument with Winter not long ago. She couldn’t deny that her sister held some valid points, it was hard to believe the pair could be such close friends if they hardly knew anything about one another. By taking advantage of this opportunity while they could, Weiss wouldn’t ever falter versus such accusations against Ilia ever again.

“Well, believe it or not, I actually grew up around an Atlas mine. My parents were miners and…” Weiss listened, her hand still over Ilia’s, as the girl told her everything about herself. It was a life Weiss could never have imagined, a life she felt a sense of guilt over given everything her family had done.

Over the course of the next few days, the girls shared with one another a great deal. Weiss told her about her singing abilities, the performances she’d often put on, and the fact she’d spent nearly her entire life a prisoner in her own home. Choosing to be a Huntress, to break from her family business, had been the first real choice she’d ever made for herself. Ilia couldn’t help but giggle through Weiss’s detailed accounts of her time at Beacon, ranging from combat with dangerous criminals, to enormous food fights in the schools cafeteria. 

When Ilia began to tell her of her time in an Atlesian prep school, Weiss couldn’t help but awkwardly chuckle through it. The way Ilia described how snooty and uptight the other students behaved, it reminded her of her first day at Beacon before meeting Ruby. Her heart sank as she learned about the mining incident that took Ilia’s parents, and their hands often found one another in the more emotional segments of the other’s past.

The two did their best to tiptoe over mentioning the White Fang too often, the topic having already been discussed to death between them. Ilia knew of the attacks on the Schnee family and Atlesian officials, and Weiss was more than aware of Ilia’s regret over her past deeds. Their agreement let everything remain in the past held strong, and the two quickly found themselves somewhat enjoying their isolation together.

One morning in particular, Weiss awoke feeling incredibly rested, even a bit energized. Throwing the covers off of herself, she did her best to get through her morning routine as quickly as possible. She lingered at the wardrobe for quite a while, a slight hesitation as she grabbed one outfit, then another, and another. Soon enough, she was slipping into a pale dress similar to the one she’d become accustomed to in her travels, though delving more into whites than blues. 

As she brushed through her hair to tie it back into a ponytail, she paused for a moment as she caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. Her reflection was smiling bright, and taking a hand to the side of her cheek, she could tell this wasn’t a trick of the light.

_ Have I been smiling this entire time? _

Cheeks flushing slightly, Weiss finished putting her hair up and did her best to try and get out the door. She hopped one foot at a time as she tried to shove her heels on, before taking a breath and opening the door. To her surprise, Ilia was standing on the other side, hand raised as if she had been about to knock.

“Oh! Good morning.” Weiss watched as Ilia quickly lowered her arm to her side.

“Yeah, good morning…” Ilia trailed off and there was a period of silence between the two, each of them giving awkward glances to the side, faces grinning.

“Breakfast?” Weiss broke the silence with a gesture past Ilia and down the hall.

“That sounds perfect.” Ilia nodded quickly and stepped from the doorway to let Weiss lead the way to the kitchen.

The silence followed after the pair as they ate through their morning meal at a snail’s pace. Every time the two made eye contact, their cheeks would flush and they’d return their gazes to the food in front of them. Without much conversation, the pair eventually found themselves staring awkwardly at a pair of empty plates. Eventually, the two piled their plates up and moved silently back towards the kitchen.

“Another perfect meal.” Ilia stood by Weiss, handing her the dishes one at a time as she inserted them into the washer beneath the sink. Once they had put everything neatly away, Weiss took their emptied mugs to the coffee machine, and Ilia took a seat at the table across from her.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Another day, another action that would no doubt cause Father to tear his hair out.” Weiss chuckled as she poured herself a second mug of coffee, offering one to Ilia as well.

“I’m more than willing to participate in just about anything that causes Jacques Schnee any degree of misery.” The pair gave a small cheers with their mugs and Weiss sipped to their common foe. Ilia, however, glanced down at the mug in her hands without taking a sip. With a bit of a chuckle, she gave a shy glance to Weiss. “Could you imagine if he could see us now? Meals every day, spending most of our time together, all the getting to know you stuff. It’s like we’re some adorable little couple, and I’m sure that sort of thing would  _ really _ drive him up the wall.”

Weiss choked on her drink, setting it down as Ilia described them as  _ some adorable little couple _ . She had to hit her chest a few times as she sputtered and gasped for breath. Ilia took a step towards her to offer aid, and Weiss simply threw out a hand signaling she’d be alright. As she started to breath again, she nodded her head slowly, cheeks a cherry pink.

“That certainly would make Father uncomfortable. I can almost picture the look on his face if I were to tell him such a thing.” Weiss and Ilia shared in a small bit of laughter, and Weiss gave a lingering glance towards the other girl. They locked eyes for a moment before Weiss continued, “Of course, being together for something like that probably isn’t a good idea. As wonderful as it would be to get back at father…”

“Oh, of course. No, that’d be silly wouldn’t it?” Ilia gave a forced smile, though the joy that had been in her eyes faded somewhat. Her gaze fell back to the coffee in her hand as she tried to laugh the idea off.

“Well, it’d be silly if it was the  _ only _ reason…” Ilia looked up and noticed that Weiss had started to approach her slowly. Her hand was sliding across the surface of the table as she walked around it. “If we  _ were _ to be together though, I’d like to think it was for more appropriate reasons. Enjoying being around one another, complete trust between us, things like that.”

Ilia’s eyes went a little wide as she watched Weiss move towards her. Their eyes met, and Ilia felt her heart start to race with every step Weiss took. Setting her own mug on the table, she did her best to control her breathing and maintain a calm and collected appearance. Her hands fell to her sides, unsure of what to do with them, before clasping them behind her.

“Well obviously. I mean, that’d be a really petty reason for two people to be together. The pissing off your father thing would just be a perk...obviously.” Every step Weiss took towards Ilia caused her toes to curl slightly as she constantly clenched and unclenched them. It was the only action she could take that wouldn’t outwardly cause any signs of the level of anxiety that was building inside of her.

“One of many that would come with a faunus dating a Schnee.” Weiss’s eyes had become soft, her strides slowing as less and less space was available between the two. Ilia’s mind was going haywire as she stared the other girl in the eyes.

“And what other perks would one expect…?” Ilia watched as the gap between them all but vanished, their eyes gazing into one another. There was a sudden sensation across her body as her skin tones changed rapidly to pinks and violets. Her mouth felt dry and her eyes inched from Weiss’s beautiful blue eyes down to her flawless pale lips.

“Well for starters…” Weiss lifted her arms, reaching forward to wrap them around Ilia’s neck. They rested gently on the other girl’s shoulders as she leaned forward, faces drawing ever closer. Ilia could feel her breath rolling gently across her own mouth, and leaning her own head forward, met Weiss halfway.

Their lips touched, a warmth rushing between them as Ilia’s hands unclenched, instead moving to wrap around Weiss’s waist. Ilia could hear all the chaotic thoughts that had been roaring through her mind fall silent the instant they came together. The two held the kiss, neither wanting to be the first to break away, and felt their lips curl into grins against one another. Eventually, Ilia pulled away just far enough for the two to be able to speak, eyes opening and gazing heatedly into one another.

“That’s one hell of a perk…” Ilia was breathing heavy, her heart felt like it was going to break free from her chest at any moment. Weiss was smiling, biting down on her lower lip as she nodded.

“You haven’t seen anything yet~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter (Chapter 8) will be the chapter responsible for the Explicit and Smut tags. Choosing to skip it should not cause any important plot elements to be missed.
> 
> In an unrelated note, the final line of this chapter was originally "This is just the tip of the iceberg...", however I kept reading it as Weissberg and elected to change it.


	8. Perks (NSFW)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the sole chapter responsible for the NSFW tags and explicit rating. It holds little to no plot information and is purely smut.

The door to Weiss’s room flew open, and just as quickly, closed behind them. With a flick of her wrist, Weiss summoned a series of glyphs that closed curtain after curtain, blocking the majority of the morning light shining in and providing a bit of privacy. Quickly hitting on the lights and locking the door, the two girls moved to the bed, Weiss instantly pushing Ilia down and crawling on top her. Their kissing became increasingly passionate as they rolled over and over on the massive mattress, before Weiss pinned Ilia to the bed by her wrists.

“Ready to see the rest of those perks?” Weiss raised an eyebrow and Ilia watched as the heiress's pale eyes scanned across her figure. Even with her clothes still on Ilia felt somewhat exposed as she felt Weiss's gaze pass over her, and she nodded eagerly. However, as soon as Weiss released her grip, Ilia grabbed onto her arms and rolled them over to place herself on top instead. Weiss’s eyes opened in shock, her thought process completely derailed.

“Of course I'd love to see those perks, but first things first.” Ilia mimicked the look Weiss had given her, biting her lip and allowing her eyes to trail down the pale blue and surprisingly thin dress, before raising her eyes back up. Weiss attempted to struggle briefly, but Ilia was determined to keep her pinned. “You’ve been treating me ever since we got here, and you even got in a fight with your very own sister just for me. I think it’s only fair if I take the chance to return the favor, and treat you for a change.”

There was a powerful lust in Ilia’s eyes, and Weiss could feel the heat and desire emanating from her body. As much as she wanted to take back control, to roll Ilia back over and continue to treat the girl to the best of her ability, she didn’t want to spoil any second of these moments by arguing. With a simple nod, Weiss surrendered her struggle, and Ilia smirked.

“Besides, you’re not the only one that offers certain  _ benefits _ in a relationship.” Ilia licked her lips as Weiss tried to understand what she meant. Ilia’s tongue then seemed to  _ continue _ to stretch out from her mouth, before it slowly returned to a more natural state. Weiss understood immediately, and Ilia leaned forward to place a gentle kiss upon her lips.

From there, the kisses began a long journey down the entirety of Weiss’s frame. Ilia’s hands were constantly feeling every inch of her body through the thin fabric of the dress, memorizing every curve as she went. From her lips, to her neck, down her chest and over the dress, Ilia’s descent across Weiss’s body was slow and steady, and the lower she got, the more excitement built between them. As she reached the end of the dress, gently kissing along Weiss’s flawlessly smooth legs, she slipped off her heels and tossed them aside.

It was time for the return trip, and instead of having her hands travel over the surface of the dress, Ilia’s fingers instead slid beneath the hem of the fabric draped over the girl’s thighs. She began to gradually pull it back to reveal the path her kisses would travel along, however as her hands traced across the surface of Weiss’s thigh, the heiress quickly scooted back and pulled the dress back over her legs. Ilia looked up from across the bed with a combination of shock and confusion.

“If we’re going to do this, then there need to be some rules.” Weiss's voice was a little shaky, and Ilia did her best to try and think straight through everything she was feeling at that moment. She nodded as Weiss’s flustered face gave her a serious look and changed to a seated position. Ilia's hands moved to her lap, squeezing tight as her self control kept her from pouncing back onto Weiss.

“Of course. I mean, I wouldn’t have expected anything less. It’s just, you came on with such confidence I guess I didn’t think about stopping to really talk about it…” Ilia felt a little guilty that they'd essentially dove into this without much discussion first. She hadn't given much thought to Weiss's past in this particular field, having assumed the heiress was just naturally gifted in everything she did.

“Well I’ve never done anything like this before, so I want to make sure my first time is perfect.” Weiss was squeezing tight onto her dress as she stared into Ilia’s eyes from across the bed. “ Firstly, if I say stop, everything stops, okay?”

“I’ll stop, we’ll get dressed, and I’ll make us some more coffee.” Ilia had raised her hands up to signal that she understood everything would immediately become hands off. Weiss nodded her approval, and pursed her lips as she tried to think of some more ground rules to set.

“Nobody hears a word of this, or anything we do in here. I don’t mind letting people know if we’re  _ together _ but what happens in the bedroom is confidential, got it?” Ilia acknowledged the request, and Weiss squirmed a little against the sheets. The two of them desperately wanted to continue from where they’d started, but they both knew it’d be best to have things spelled out ahead of time.

“I think we both know I’m pretty good about keeping secrets. I promise you that the instant you think things have gone too far, I will stop immediately and never breathe a word of anything we do to anyone else.” Weiss stared for a few seconds as if to confirm Ilia’s promise, before slowly releasing the grip of her dress.

“Alright then. Do you have anything to add?” Weiss had seemed to calm down some, and as Ilia crawled towards her, tracing a finger up a leg hidden beneath the dress, Ilia smiled at up at her and leaned in for another kiss.

“Only that we go into this feeling calm, relaxed, and most importantly, we enjoy ourselves.” Ilia spoke her rules slowly, letting her lips press into Weiss’s as she leaned the girl back onto the bed, and resumed from where she’d been. Weiss looked down at her, biting her lip as Ilia began to lift the dress once more, chasing after the hem with her lips.

As the dress passed her hips, Weiss’s legs did their best to snap shut out of reflex. With a series of breaths, and some pressure from Ilia’s hands, they slowly spread to reveal silky blue panties at her waist. Ilia chuckled, wondering if the Schnee’s owned anything that wasn’t white, blue, or a combination of the two, and she pressed a light kiss into the fabric.

Weiss’s hands were covering her face in embarrassment, her eyes peeking through cracks between her fingers. Ilia’s fingers wrapped around the sides of the garment, and as she slowly pulled it down, made a mental note that the Schnee family’s iconic white hair was indeed natural. She felt a little surprised that Weiss would maintain herself in a neat and trimmed fashion, given she didn’t seem the type to participate in this sort of thing often, but she also couldn’t imagine Weiss letting something like this grow out of control.

As Weiss’s thin slit came into her view, their hearts began to beat at an even faster pace. Ilia’s eyes lingered, something about reaching this point making the situation feel so much more real, and she eased off the silky cloth before tossing it aside. Ilia leaned her head forward, and Weiss braced herself for contact, her eyes snapping shut.

There was a moment that Weiss felt the warm breath of the faunus girl rolling across her, the heat sending new sensations all through her body. It felt strange to have someone breathing on her like this, but the only thing in her mind was the anticipation for what she was going to feel next. Instead, the breathing continued, and she dared a peek from her fingers as she watched Ilia simply  _ breathing _ on her.

“Is… everything okay?” Weiss wasn’t sure if Ilia was sudden hesitating, or if maybe there was something else going on.

_ Oh god, does it smell? Does it look funny? Is there something wrong with me?! _

As her mind started to come up with endless ways that somehow Ilia’s brief pause moments before diving in was somehow  _ her _ fault, she noticed Ilia’s cheeks blush as she seemed to be struggling with a grin.

“I’m just making sure my tongue doesn’t get stuck  _ Ice Queen _ .” Weiss blinked, completely stunned by such a response. Her hands lowered from her face, and as she stared, she physically felt her jaw start to hang open. Ilia was smirking, though still breathing against her, and Weiss dropped her head back in disbelief.

“You honestly can’t be serious. After all this buildup and tension, you decide to go and sa - ahHH.” Weiss felt her words slur slightly as she temporarily forgot how to speak. Her words had quickly turned into a shout, and her hands clamped themselves over her mouth to silence what was suddenly turning into a moan.

Ilia had broken from her pattern of gentle kisses; Weiss’s mind had been prepared for a soft contact, the warmth of Ilia’s lips against those between her legs. Instead, there was a sudden rush of sensation with something warm and moist pressing against her, pressing  _ into  _ her, twisting and twirling once inside. Her toes curled and she felt her legs clench as she tried to maintain at least a brief semblance of thought.

Weiss kept one hand at her mouth, suppressing sudden rushes of air every time she felt Ilia’s tongue flick in a different direction, while the other grabbed onto a nearby pillow and squeezed tight. Lifting her head as much as she could, staring down, she could see Ilia’s mouth completely pressed over her, the girl’s eyes shut as she focused entirely on what her tongue was doing. The pleasure was non-stop, Ilia’s tongue relentless, and Weiss found herself unable to keep her head up any longer.

There was a new sensation buried within the pleasure that was quickly revealing itself to Weiss. As she gripped onto the pillowcase with more and more force, her body started to tense up as a wave of ecstasy rolled through her. All the tension in her body, the tightness of her muscles; all of it seemed to vanish as nothing but pleasure replaced it. Even her worries and concerns from everything ranging from her argument with Winter to the daunting task of defeating Salem disappeared from her thoughts without a trace.

Ilia had watched as Weiss’s body had grown tighter and tighter, feeling the internal walls of the girl squeeze onto her tongue, before the sudden release of an orgasm causing her to spasm as everything seemed to loosen up all at once. On either side of her head, Ilia could see Weiss’s legs dropping to the sides. The hand that had been clutching the pillow had let go, and the hand at her mouth had fallen away to let small moans of pleasure escape into the air of the vast room around them. Grinning, Ilia slowly let the tongue that had driven Weiss to climax slide back into her mouth, taking a great deal of the other girl’s juices with her.

Licking her lips, still smirking as she savored the taste, Ilia watched as Weiss came down from the high and slowly managed to lift her head back up. Crawling over the girl, whose hair had began to fall free of the band keeping it in a ponytail, Ilia gave a teasing grin to Weiss and kissed her gently on the lips. Weiss’s expression was a combination of lust, though with a slight hint of frustration.

“You couldn’t… go easy… could you?” Almost pouting between heavy breaths, Weiss frowned as Ilia, who only shook her head, remained smiling ear to ear.

“I didn’t think it’d be appropriate for a faunus to show mercy to a Schnee.” Ilia gave a bit of a wink and Weiss could only respond with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, now it’s my turn to show what a gracious host I am and to treat you to a few more perks of being with a Schnee.” There was a look in Weiss’s eyes, a sudden burning gaze, told Ilia that she might’ve gone a little far in teasing the other girl. Weiss once again pressed Ilia back onto the bed, but as quickly as she’d pinned her wrists, Ilia could see the heiress’s hands pull away just as fast.

“Well you’ll have to try harder than that to try and-” Ilia, in an attempt to prove a point, tried to lift her arms up to try and roll Weiss back over, but found that her hands hadn’t budged. In fact, it felt that even without Weiss’s hands keeping her down, something was still pressing down on her to keep her in place. Turning her head to try and get a better look, Ilia was surprised to see a black spinning snowflake had appeared around her wrist. Checking the other side, these black symbols seemed to be responsible for her inability to move.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” Weiss sat up, her legs straddling Ilia, as she pulled her dress up over her head and tossed it in approximately the same direction her bottoms had been thrown. Ilia’s eyes traced her slim figure, admiring the fitness, and wondering how she hadn’t noticed the complete lack of a bra sooner. Looking down, completely exposed, the aforementioned Ice Queen appeared to be burning bright from a fire within. Her hands reached down, tugging at the collar of Ilia’s outfit, which consisted of a white frilly button up beneath an open navy vest, and a belted pair of matching navy slacks.

“Oh, nothing.” Ilia wiggled a little more beneath Weiss, wondering what exactly she was in store for. Weiss had appeared so seductive back in the kitchen; the way she’d approached her, the lead in to the embrace and the kiss… Then Weiss had suddenly seemed so fragile, so innocent the instant things began to get a little too intimate. Ilia guessed she’d completely shattered that innocence with her lack of mercy, and thought about what this new confident Weiss might do to her next.

“You know, these clothes used to be my sisters, and we aren’t exactly seeing  _ eye to eye _ right now.” Weiss’s finger had hooked into the line down the center of the shirt, catching itself on a button, to which she forcefully tugged downwards. This caused the button to pop off, a snapping noise as it jumped into the air, and Ilia’s shirt steadily began to open up. Her finger continued to move down, forceful movements popping off buttons one after another, until the shirt was spread open the same as the vest.

Weiss let a single polished nail trace across Ilia’s midriff, tickling along the girl’s tan skin and circling around various dark spots across the surface as it went. Eventually, it stopped, tracing back and forth along the underside of the pale blue bra still covering Ilia’s chest.

There was a brief bit of hesitation in Weiss’s eyes, a crack in the sudden confident persona she’d donned. Ilia tilted her head to the side as she felt the finger trace along the bra, but go no further. She could sense the nervousness from the other girl, and decided to try and give her a little push.

“What’s wrong Snow Angel? Cold feet after coming so far?  _ And so hard? _ ” Ilia stuck her tongue out and Weiss stared down, her eye twitching briefly as she pursed her lips. It was obvious she’d touched just the right nerve, and Weiss forced the bra up, causing Ilia’s breasts to pop out one after the other. Cupping one gently, Weiss squeezed them both, kneading them as she gave a playful grin.

“Well, aren’t these just  _ cute _ .” Ilia pouted as Weiss groped at her chest, well aware of her particular endowments. However, her focus drifted along Weiss’s own bare chest, to which she gestured to with a nod of her head.

“You’re one to talk. After all,  _ those _ are just adorable.” Weiss looked down at her chest, her hands snapping from Ilia’s breasts to cover her own. She gave another stare back at Ilia, narrowing her eyes, and began to wiggle down the bed and off of Ilia.

The faunus girl lifted her head, watching as Weiss seemed to be mumbling something to herself. She undid the belt of the slacks, tossing it aside, before quickly yanking down the zipper and tearing off Ilia’s pants and panties in a single sweep. She was almost disappointed by the lack of teasing, expecting Weiss to turn it into some drawn out ordeal. Ilia's now bare legs rubbed together against the sheets, eyes watching with curiosity as she waited to see which part of her Weiss would start on. Instead, Weiss crawled back across the bed, placing herself to Ilia’s side and pressing her body close against her.

Closing the distance between them, Weiss placed a hand on Ilia’s cheek and tilted her face in for a kiss. Weiss’s hand would then drift from the cheek, travelling casually further and further down the tan skin of her companion. Tracing across her chest, doing briefly little swirls around her nipples, her hands seemed to be skating across her exposed front as if it were an ice rink. Twisting and turning, the light pressure of Weiss’s fingers was a combination ticklish and pleasurable as they continued their downward journey.

Ilia gasped at first, a rush of air escaping her lips as Weiss’s hand dipped between her legs. She felt them squeeze through her thighs, the hand turning to force her legs to part, and Weiss’s fingers began to rub along her. Ilia shuddered, though her lips never left Weiss’s as the two continued to share in the kiss.

Opening an eye to glance down, Ilia couldn’t help but enjoy the view of their two bodies laying side by side with a hand placed in such a delicate place. She sensed Weiss opening her eyes as well, pulling from the kiss, and the pair watched as Weiss’s fingers began to tease themselves inside. The resistance was minimal, Ilia herself already thoroughly prepared from her own excitement, and she let out another gasp as she felt the fingers begin bend and wiggle inside of her with each push.

Then Weiss turned to Ilia, a wicked grin crawling across her face as her free hand twirled in the air, and Ilia could see another pair of glyphs around her ankles. Looking at Weiss with surprise, Ilia gulped a little as Weiss turned her attention back to her fingering technique. Ilia was pleasantly surprised with Weiss’s abilities so far, and the binding of her limbs had been unexpected, but with how much she was enjoying herself she had no complaints. Even so, something about the look Weiss had just given her was concerning.

The intensity of Weiss’s fingering grew very quickly, and Ilia could already feel her toes curl a little as she did her best to arch her back. Her wrists and ankles couldn’t be moved in the least, so all the desperate urges to move and squirm while pleasure flowed through her was channeled into her torso. She wiggled side to side, rolling and pressing into Weiss to kiss at any bit of flesh she could reach as the other girl seemed to be trying to go for the kill right away.

“Let’s say we try mixing in a little time dilation shall we?” Weiss gave another wave of her free hand, and Ilia looked across her body wondering what Weiss had done to her this time. Before Ilia could say anything, the intensity of the pleasure amped up considerably; a golden glyph had appeared around Weiss’s own wrist, and her hand had turned into practically a blur. Weiss enjoyed the view, satisfied by the results of her technique, and she watched as Ilia readily began to climax.

Ilia felt her eyes roll back as the speed of the fingering ramped itself up to high intensity vibrations, and her body instantly surrendered to the pleasure. Thrusting her chest up, pulling and struggling against the glyphs that held her down, Ilia’s body spasmed as the orgasm rolled through her. The fingers pressing into her gradually reduced in speed as the glyph faded, and Ilia continued to twist and turn as Weiss slid her fingers from within. Raising the hand from between Ilia's legs, Weiss spent a moment admiring the juices that had coated her. As Ilia managed to string together a few thoughts, her body laying collapsed on the bed, she chuckled and imagined if that had been Weiss’s revenge for the no mercy joke prior.

“Got everything out of your system now?” Panting with her eyes closed, Ilia felt the pressure on her wrists and ankles disappear. Thankful that she’d been let free, at least in this particular sense, Ilia propped herself up on her elbows and glanced to Weiss beside her.

Just as quickly as her eyes opened however, her vision was obscured by a mass of white, and there was a suddenly fluffy impact as she was biffed back down by a pillow to the face. Tearing the pillow off, tossing it away, she popped back up and stared in disbelief at Weiss and her sudden assault.

“Ice Queen? _Snow Angel?_ **_Really?_** ” Weiss glared and pouted, arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Ilia, who could only snort and rub the back of her head.

“Ah, that. Well, when Blake was telling me about everyone back in Mistral, Yang sorta popped in at the mention of your name. She said you had a whole list of nicknames I should use if I ever got to talking to you. I figured she was messing with me but they also sounded like they could be cute little pet names too…” Ilia’s cheeks were flush, the various speckles across her figure matching the embarrassing pink shade, as she did her best to play innocent. Weiss didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she shrugged and rolled her eyes.

“Well, that can be another rule then. No cold or icy themed nicknames. Ever.” Weiss continued to pout as she went about trying to fix her hair, and Ilia simply grinned.

“Whatever you say Miss Schnee, I live to serve the heiress.” Ilia gave a fake little bow to Weiss. She watched as the brief bout of frustration regarding the nickname faded, and Weiss leaned over to give her a gentle kiss.

“Well, you’ve certainly done an exceptional job so far.” With a wink, the pair lowered themselves to the bed, their breathing gradually returning to normal as their heart beats began to slow. Rolling onto her side, Ilia placed a hand over Weiss’s chest to feel her heart, and to enjoy the smooth touch of her snowy skin.

“Speaking of, anything else I could participate in that would ideally piss off your father?” Ilia looked up, waggling her eyebrows and giving a cheeky smile to Weiss, who pretended briefly to give it some thought.

“I’m sure we could think of a few things, but first I think we could both use another cup of coffee.” Sliding her legs over the edge of the bed, Weiss stretched her arms out and let out a satisfied sigh.

“Right, we were in such a hurry we left them behind didn’t we.” Ilia crawled up next to Weiss and popped up from the bed. Crossing the room in the ruined blouse, Ilia took it off and tossed it aside along with the bra she'd been wearing in favor of a bathrobe. Weiss’s eyes skimmed the bare girl standing in her room as her body was slowly covered by a puffy white robe. Before Weiss could even stand, Ilia was in front of her, pushing her back onto the bed and placing another robe beside her. “Stay right here, I’ll get the coffee, and then we can both spend the rest of the day in this nice comfortable bed. Sound like a plan?”

“If we disappear for too long the guards might come and check on us.” Weiss frowned as she imagined the guards suddenly barging in on the two of them in bed together. Even if she came up with some brilliant excuse, she doubted it would stick for very long.

“Well, it’s a good thing they won’t be able to see me in here with you now isn’t it?” Ilia gave a wink as her body camouflaged itself. Head to toe she seemed to vanish, aside from one glaring problem with her plan.

“That loses effectiveness when you’re wearing something don’t you think?” Weiss gestured to the essentially floating bathrobe in front of her, and Ilia returned to her natural colors and leaned in close.

“Well, it’s a good thing I won’t be wearing anything then.” Providing a quick kiss on the lips, Ilia skipped towards the door, and did her best to power walk to the kitchen to retrieve the pair fresh mugs of warm coffee.

Weiss, deciding she had a few minutes to kill, reached over to the bathrobe and slid it on. Gathering the clothes scattered about the room, burying the ruined blouse deep within the wardrobes, she decided to take a quick look outside to see if any of the guards had seen or heard anything. It was likely that they would’ve come running if they had, but with the way she’d slammed the blinds shut upon entering she worried they could’ve been trying to find a way to check on her through the windows as opposed to coming in through the door.

As she drew closer to the window, she could certainly hear voices outside, but there was no sense of urgency. Still, curiosity was pulling on her gently, and Weiss cracked open the window just enough to listen in on the conversation happening outside.


	9. Back on Track

Weiss wore a grin as she tied off the robe around her waist. The morning had been far and beyond what she’d expected when she’d left her room earlier that day. With Ilia away, and a few minutes to spare until she returned, Weiss made her way to the window to peer out the blinds. The room had been darkened when she’d slammed all the blinds closed, and part of her couldn’t help but worry that maybe a guard or two had gotten suspicious by the windows to her room all being blocked out. Fortunately, as her eyes glanced side to side, Weiss could see no sign that anyone had tried to prop up some sort of ladder to peek in.

It was a silly thought, given that if someone  _ had _ grown suspicious, they likely would’ve simply come through the door. Even without any visual signs anyone was outside, Weiss could hear muffled sounds coming from the other side of the glass. She did her best to look down into the yard below the window, but the only thing that she could see was the occasional puff of smoke drifting upwards. Frowning, somewhat disappointed by the lackluster attitude of someone responsible for guarding  _ her _ , Weiss cracked the window open just enough to hear whatever was being discussed outside.

“It’s hard to think Ironwood has kept Jacques at bay for as long as he has though.” Whoever was speaking was also the one smoking, Weiss could hear him pause a moment to take a drag from his cigarette. “He’s been breathing down his throat since day one to sweep through and eliminate all the workers that are helping the rebellion.”

“I can’t imagine the general has even been one to be swayed by money, the man is a legend.” The other guard chuckled, and Weiss tried to lean a little bit further to try and get a glance at whoever was below.

“He might not be, but the rest of the council is another story. Hell, if they offered me enough of a bonus, I’d go down to those mines myself to gun down some of those lazy animals.” Weiss watched a cigarette butt fly away from the building, nestling in the grass as the embers burned away and the two guards began to return to their patrol. The sound of their footsteps through the yard and debates about how much lien they’d ask for to enter the mines was all Weiss heard as they vanished.

Then a new sound behind Weiss caused her to slam the window shut. Standing up straight, freezing on the spot, she slowly turned her body in a mechanical fashion.

“I should brought slippers or something with me, these floors are so cold!” Ilia was hopping awkwardly on one foot, balancing a pair of steaming coffee mugs in either hand, as she attempted to swing the door to Weiss’s room shut with her other foot. Taking a warming sip of the drink, she glanced from the bed to Weiss with a slight pout. “Everything alright?”

“I was just taking a glance outside. One can never be too careful after all.” Weiss forced a smile as she walked across the room and back to the bed, sitting at the edge and gesturing for Ilia to join her. The other girl offered a cheeky grin as she offered Weiss her coffee and took a seat beside her. Setting her own mug down, she reached down to undo her own robes, and was surprised when Weiss extended a hand out to stop her.

“Aww, not ready for round two?” Ilia stuck out her tongue, though her playful expression faded somewhat as she registered that something wasn’t quite right. She tilted her head and tried to read Weiss’s face as she stared down at the floor.

“Believe me, if we were under any other circumstances, I would absolutely adore spending an entire day with just you, but I think we’ve managed to get ourselves a little off track.” Weiss bit her lip, feeling a little guilty that the two of them had grown so comfortable together they’d all but forgotten about their individual missions. Lifting Ilia’s hand up, Weiss placed a gentle kiss on it and grinned. “These have been the past few weeks of my life, but let’s not forget we each have an important mission we need to finish.”

“Of course…” Ilia grinned and rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “You’re right, we have things we need to take care of before we can afford this sort of time together.”

Ilia pulled her hand away, eyes looking away from Weiss and staring at the wall. She’d become so wrapped up in her time with Weiss that somehow the world around them had all but faded away. Her heart sank as she imagined just how much worst the conditions in the mines must have gotten without her there to keep things from escalating. Kobichi was barely listening to her as it was, and now that she’d turned on him to rescue Weiss, she had no doubt he’d managed to gather more followers because of her.

“Think about it like this…” Weiss leaned over to Ilia, grinning as the girl’s eyes fell across her figure. Tugging at the portion of the robes over her chest, exposing a bit more skin, Weiss couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched Ilia take a hard swallow. “The sooner we finish our missions,  _ successfully _ mind you, the sooner we can spend as much time as we like together like this.”

Ilia took a heavy breath, breaking away from her stare and nodding rapidly, her mind filled with a number of vivid fantasies while her cheeks and spotted skin blushed bright.

“Alright, so where do we start?” Ilia took a sizable swig of her coffee, trying to get as much caffeine in her system as she could. If they wanted to finish their missions as soon as possible, that would mean their first step would be planning their escape from the villa; ideally that same day.

“First, we get our equipment, pack as many essentials as we can, and break out of what is quickly becoming a poorly run prison.” Weiss grinned, the disappointment she felt in the particular soldiers guarding her becoming a surprising blessing. It was likely that the two soldiers slacking off weren’t the only ones; it’d been a few weeks since they’d been assigned to keep Ilia and Weiss under lock and key, and the girls had been angels the entire time.

“Roger that Miss Schnee.” Ilia stood upright and gave a playful salute to Weiss, who returned the act by standing and providing the faunus girl a gentle kiss on the lips. With that, Ilia quickly made her way from the room and down the hall to Winter’s old room and began to pack.

Weiss crossed to the corner of the room near the wardrobe, picking up Myrtenaster, and frowning as she checked the various dust cartridges in the barrel of the weapon. She’d been disappointed that not only had Ironwood refused to provide her with dust to use, he’d actually confiscated the dust she’d had on her person. So much for letting her defend herself in case of an emergency. After a few minutes, and one sizeable backpack later, Weiss threw her bag over her shoulder and stepped out into the hall.

At the same time, Ilia was just exiting Winter’s room with a plump pack of her own, and a fresh set of clothes to replace to ruined blouse she’d been wearing earlier. The new set was nearly identical to the old, though the slim blouse lacked the ruffles of the former. With a nod that she was ready, Ilia followed Weiss down through the home, but was surprised when they didn’t head towards any of the exits, or even to a window to break.

“Where are we…” Ilia stopped short as she found Weiss leading her to a door she hadn’t yet been through. As it swung open, she was confused by seeing that steps appeared leading further down into the home into some form of basement. “Is there some sort of secret passage out down here?”

“Not in the summer home, no. We’re not leaving yet, but there are some things down here I need to grab before we go.” Weiss flicked on a light at the top of the stairs, which quickly caused illumination to flood the room below them, and began to head down the steps.

“Ah, right. Wait, does your regular house have secret passages!?” Ilia’s eyebrows were raised in surprise by the very idea as she followed Weiss down into what ended up being a massive room, nearly the size of the upper floor all on its own. Her eyes glanced to the right, where the room was filled entirely by boxes, and then to the left, where she could see the building’s water heater, ventilation unit, as well as a few washing and drying machines. Nearly all the maintenance devices for the building were all crammed in one space, and she wondered what Weiss could possibly need from anything down here.

“A few, but that’s not important right now. What is is what’s in those boxes over there, and what’s in the heater and ventilation systems over here.” Weiss moved to the left, and in an effort to help, Ilia drifted off to the boxes on the right.

“All Atlas tech is powered by dust, so if I can get these panels off, I should be able to find…” Weiss was mostly thinking out loud as she wedged Myrtenaster into the gap of a steadily rusting panel on the water heater. As it cracked and busted with a bit of effort, Weiss began to look through the machine for any sign of where the dust was stored.

On the other side of the room, Ilia had decided to open up a few boxes just out of curiosity. The first box she found appeared to contain fine china, and she admired the dish before setting it gently down on the floor and began digging through a sea of foam peanuts to try and find the matching pieces. As she dug, she was more and more surprised to find that the sizable box had seemed to only contain a  _ single _ dish, while the entirety of the remaining space was dedicated to packing peanuts. She wondered if the rest of these boxes were also dedicated to a single object each, and continued to dig for any sign of anything that could aid them in their escape.

Weiss had managed to find a pair of boxes within the machine that had resisted her pull a great deal. Having broken them free, cracking them each in the process, she was able to glance inside and see fire and electricity dust inside each of the components that had allowed the machine to function. Grinning and nodding to herself, she gently poured the dust into the chambers of Myrtenaster and turned to help Ilia search through the boxes for the last thing she’d hoped to find before they left.

“LOOK OUT!” Just as Weiss started to turn, she could hear Ilia shouting at her to get out of the way. Diving to the side, Weiss watched Ilia breeze past her before slamming into the wall and bouncing back onto the floor. As she groaned in pain, Weiss watched as a small plastic hovering scooted drifted across the floor away from the girl and chuckled a little before offering her a helping hand up.

“First time on a hover board?” Ilia grumbled and rubbed at her bottom as she took the helping hand up.

“I didn’t get the chance to play with any fancy hovering scooters when I was a kid. Those suckers are hard to balance on…” Ilia gave a harsh squint at the board before dusting herself off.

“Well, lucky for us you found exactly what I was going to start digging for in the first place.” Weiss walked over to the board, lifting it from the floor and switching off the power. Immediately, the board seemed to grow slightly heavier as a set of purple orbs across the bottom dimmed from the glowing state they’d been in. Popping open a small plastic panel, Weiss withdrew a set of yellow and purple cartridges from inside and cracked them open. Having already sprinkled a decent amount of lightning dust into her own weapon, Weiss offered the yellow cartridge to Ilia, and withdrew what little she could of the gravity dust inside of the purple.

“Really tells you how bad the times are doesn’t it? We’re disassembling children’s toys to empower our weapons.” Ilia shook her head as she energized her weapon, testing the applied lightning dust, and stowing the weapon away with a satisfied nod.

“Just have to make due with what we have. Next step, try and break out without drawing any attention to ourselves. Fortunately it seems like the guards have gotten a little bored in their time looking after us, so it shouldn’t be too difficult a task.” Weiss led the pair back up the stairs, constantly checking on windows for any sign of guards, and the two managed to sneak back up to her room. As soon as they were inside, Weiss crossed to the windows on the other side, dropping her bag beside it, and throwing the window open.

“What did you have in mind?” Ilia glanced out the window wondering if this would be where they escaped from. The jump wouldn’t be too difficult, though the run towards the perimeter wall of the grounds would be interesting to say the least: the yard was massive and had very little to mask their presence as they crossed.

“Let’s provide the guards with a bit of entertainment, shall we?” Weiss planted her weapon firmly into the floor as a massive white glyph formed around her feet. Weiss entered a deep state of concentration and a small swarm of lancers began to materialize around the pair. Ilia took a step away from one of the glowing white creatures that seemed to pay her no mind, before the swarm took off from the window and towards the front of the home.

“That’s terrifying I won’t lie.” Ilia frowned as she leaned out the window and could begin to hear yelling and gunfire from the front.

“Well, then you might not like this next part either.” A second rune had appeared in front of the pair just outside the window, where a massive queen lancer materialized midair. Weiss grabbed her bags and pulled Ilia through the window and onto the creatures back. “And so far neither do I…”

Weiss wobbled slightly as soon as she stepped onto the creature, and Ilia caught her, holding her still as the girl focused on maintaining the various summons. The creature turned slowly to the side, and began to fly with increasing speed in the opposite direction the rest of the creatures had been sent. Very quickly the sounds of shouting and gunfire all but faded, and Weiss seemed to regain a bit of stability as she shook off the dizziness she was feeling.

“We’re not going to suddenly find ourselves without a transport are we?” Ilia glanced between the wobbly Weiss and the massive creature keeping them from a quick plummet to the earth, and Weiss shook her head as they began to descend just as quickly as they’d taken off. The villa was far in the distance behind them, and the two of them were in a shaky descent towards the ground. Ilia was thankful that, at least by this point, even if Weiss did collapse the fall wouldn’t be very dangerous. Though, glancing down at the city streets, she wondered how long it would be before a giant flying lancer was reported to the military and the military would flood the area.

“Hopefully not, we don’t have that far to go…” Weiss raised an unsteady hand forward as she used Ilia for support as her aura continued to steadily deplete itself. Following the direction of the point, Ilia could see a massive building atop a hill quickly drawing close. It was a mansion, an enormous structure with high walls and a variety of ships patrolling the skies above it.

“Are you serious? We’re going  _ there _ ? The military are all over the place and we’re not exactly the most conspicuous travelers at present.” Ilia had imagined the first place they’d go would be somewhere to contact the general, or even back to the mines themselves to try and resolve things. Weiss could likely try and talk to the general, and Ilia hoped that she had at least a few allies still in the mines that would listen to reason. Instead, the both of them were approaching a massive building absolutely swarming with soldiers that would likely shoot first and ask questions later with the two of them flying up on a huge lancer.

“Yes, we’re going into _that_ building to find the one person that can put an end to this conflict before any blood is spilled. We’re going to see my father.”


	10. Breaking and Entering

The landing, though it was frankly more like a crash, had gotten the two close enough to the walls of the Schnee estate that they could easily walk the remaining distance. Weiss’s aura had given out during their descent, causing the queen lancer to slowly fade away moments before they had managed to land. The two had stumbled onto the solid ground, though both managed to keep from falling too far forward. As they righted themselves, they quickly ducked into a nearby alley as a transport ship jetted over their heads.

“You don’t think they saw us do you?” Ilia glanced out from the alley after the ship that had blown by. Deciding it wasn’t coming back for them, her eyes scanned up and down either side of the street, which was surprisingly empty. With all the war paranoia, it looked like the people of Atlas were spending more time indoors than out.

“I think people saw us going in this direction, but I can’t imagine they’d start checking every little alley for a queen lancer any time soon. They’ll keep flying around but as long as we don’t draw attention to ourselves I think we’ll be okay.” Weiss looked up at the skies before setting her bag down to dig through it. Withdrawing a light blue cloak, Weiss covered herself and used the hood to hide her face. She gestured to Ilia's own pack and recommended she cover up as well.

“Right, I guess I’m pretty easy to spot aren’t I?” Ilia glanced down at her tan skin, a trait that wasn’t the most common among the citizens of Atlas in their snowy city. With a bit of a smirk while Weiss was still checking through her bags, Ilia took a deep breath, and mentally focused to change the coloration of her skin tones. Slowly the tans and browns turned themselves to a pale white, only a tad darker than Weiss’s own skin.

As Weiss turned back to Ilia, slinging her own pack over her shoulder, she gasped for a second at the dramatic change the girl had undergone. It took only a fraction of a second for her to realize what had happened, but for a brief moment she thought someone else had been in the alley with them. Weiss held a hand to her chest as she calmed herself and laughed it off.

“Something the matter?” Ilia grinned, the shock on Weiss’s face telling her that she definitely didn’t look anything like she normally did with this skin tone. “It’s nice right? I feel like a bit of a ghost or something though, do you Atlas types ever go out in the sun?”

“Honestly it’s not a matter of choice in this part of Remnant.” Weiss shook her head while gesturing up at the sky where enormous clouds floating overhead had begun to sprinkle down a light layer of snow. Ilia frowned, wondering just how often the sun stayed hidden behind the clouds, before a chilly breeze blew through her.

“Ah, I forgot how much it snows here. I guess the cold is a good reason to keep indoors as well.” Ilia shivered as she reached into the bag and began to pull on additional layers. Serving to keep her warm, as well as hiding her face from anyone that might be looking for her, Ilia bundled up and glanced to Weiss who was keeping an eye out on the streets.

“Alright, let’s hurry.” Waving back at Ilia, Weiss turned to see the other girl throwing on her bag and lightly jogging up next to her. The two stepped from the alley, doing their best to keep a calmness to their actions, but walking at a fast enough pace to avoid staying exposed for too long. The streets were empty, so no matter how concealed they tried to appear, they were still sticking out a great deal. Increasing the pace of their movement, the wall of the estate steadily came into view at the end of the road they were on.

“So are you just going to walk up to the gate and introduce yourself to the guards? I mean this is your house after all.” Ilia wondered if the second part of their mission would be just as easy as the first. The distraction back at the villa had been so simple and their escape had been flawless. Still, seeing the ships patrolling over the Schnee residence, Ilia could sense this particular obstacle was in a league of its own.

“It may be my home but as far as the general is concerned I need to be  _ under his protection _ . Even if the guards did let me through, the first thing they’d do is contact Ironwood. He’d either throw us both in a cell or make sure security was extra tight while keeping me under the same roof as Whitley and Father.” Weiss shuddered at the thought. At least their time in the villa had been pleasant with just the two of them and rather lackluster security. A lockdown in the Schnee residence with her family patrolling the halls however... Just the thought of it made her feel sick. She’d been through that once, and that was more than enough.

“So we’re going to break in then?” Ilia pursed her lips, trying to debate just how many soldiers she could feasibly get through before becoming overwhelmed. Between the fighter ships as well as potential paladins on the grounds, the odds were far from being in their favor.

“In a way.” The pair skirted across the street to the wall and pressed close against the brickwork. While the wall itself was too thin to have guards patrolling over top of it, the two of them could hear voices and the crunching of snow beneath boots coming from the other side. With the amount of noise, they grew anxious at the realization an entire squad of soldiers was not even a few feet from their current position.

Weiss raised a finger to Ilia and they remained as silent as possible while sneaking along the wall. Every second was risky; another transport ship flying overhead could likely spot the two of them, but in a matter of moments Weiss had stopped and was tapping against the wall in various points.

“What are you...?” Ilia watched as Weiss furrowed her brow, glaring at the wall as she tapped against the bricks in frustration. After a few seemingly wrong choices, a brick gave way to her touch, and Ilia watched in surprise as the snow before them seemed to rise up and shift to the side. A small panel had risen from the earth and revealed a set of stairs leading into a poorly lit passage beneath the property.

“Secret passages, remember?” Weiss reached out to close Ilia’s dropped jaw for her, and motioned for her to quickly get inside. As soon as the two of them stepped inside, Weiss pressed another hidden switch on the inside, and the path sealed itself behind them, leaving them in a lengthy and dark corridor. “I should have enough fire dust left to get us through these halls without the lights…”

Weiss reached for Myrtenaster and spun the cartridge to the fire setting in order to give the pair a little light, but before she could ignite the tip of the weapon, she felt Ilia’s hand interlace it with her own.

“Don’t waste the dust. You have me, remember?” In the darkness Weiss felt the warmth of Ilia’s lips against her cheek, the gentle caress of a thumb across her hand, and a small tug as Ilia led the way. Nodding, Weiss stowed the weapon away while wondering if Ilia’s night vision was powerful enough to see her blushing.

“I haven’t been through here in quite some time, but if I remember correctly, this should break into a left and a right. The left will take us to a study, but the right should take us to a hall on the same floor as my father’s office.” Weiss kept her voice low, though she knew internally that it likely wasn’t necessary. Only members of the Schnee family, and their butler Klein, were even aware these passages existed. Regardless of the security measures in place Weiss couldn’t imagine her father sharing this information with military personnel. 

“Right it is then.” Ilia continued to lead her by the hand until suddenly coming to a stop. She reached out to the wall that barred their path, pressing and knocking against it to check it wasn’t a dead end. It sounded like the wall was false, likely to be the exit to the passage, but she couldn’t find any sign of a switch or button. “Uhh, I think I found the exit but I don’t know how to open it.”

“Here, let me try.” Reaching forward, Weiss felt around the smooth stone wall beside them for another hidden switch. Ilia watched as, sure enough, part of the wall appeared to give way to Weiss’s touch, and the path was flooded with light. They both winced, their eyes adjusting to the sudden change in brightness, before stepping out into a massive corridor.

Ilia gawked at the width of the hall, imagining how many people could fit shoulder to shoulder within. A thin blue carpet flowed down the center, the ceiling was lined with blue chandeliers every foot or so, and a constant pattern of pillar then window lined the wall across from them. As their vision adjusted, eyes scanning the hall, they quickly froze as they realized the hall was not empty.

Another pair of individuals also occupied the space they’d stepped into, and they watched as a young boy and a portly older gentlemen stopped in their tracks. The boy, displaying the signature snowy hair and piercing blues eyes of the Schnee family, was holding a teacup mid sip as his eyes darted back and forth between Ilia and Weiss. His shock of seeing the two suddenly step out of the wall was obvious, and he took a hesitant step backwards.

The man behind him, a larger fellow with balding brown hair and a massive mustache that would cover his mouth if it were shut, could be seen carrying a tray with a kettle and several other teacups. His eyes shared in the surprise, though unlike the boy, his expression turned to one of relief as his face broke into a smile.

Turning on his feet, the boy’s mouth could be seen forming into a shout as he turned away, but just as quickly as he’d turned, Ilia’s weapon was already extending out towards him. In a brief burst of light, the boy began to twitch before swaying on the spot and collapsing to the floor. The teacup slipped from his grasp and plummeted towards the ground only to be caught by the gentleman’s foot at the last moment. A splotch of tea splashed on the carpet, and he groaned at what would surely turn into a difficult to remove stain.

“Would the Miss care for some tea?” The man directed his attention back to Weiss, his expression had taken on a bright tone as his eyes shifted from their original brown to a golden yellow. Crouching down with the tray, he shuffled the cup Whitley had been using onto it, and standing, offered each of the girls their own cup.

“I appreciate the gesture Klein, and I’m so happy to see you’re safe, but we’re a little pressed for time. Do you know where Father is at the moment?” Weiss and Ilia stepped towards him, Ilia relieved to find the man an ally as opposed to an enemy. It was also fortunate she hadn’t tried to immediately take him down as well, and figuring they were temporarily in the clear, she stowed her weapon.

“Ah, that old man…” Klein had lifted the tray up, obscuring his eyes for a moment, before lowering it down to show they had changed from the golden shade to a deep red. “He’s been pent up all day screaming and shouting at people over his scroll. The git has been demanding heads and shouting out insane amounts of lien for anyone that’ll listen to em. Needs a good talkin to if ya ask me.”

Just as quickly as his personality and eyes had shifted, he raised the tray once more, and they returned to their original brown.

“So should we like, tie him up?” Ilia crouched beside Whitley, looking across his still smoking form. His hair had spiked out in all directions, and he’d started to drool on the carpet.

“No need for that miss, it’s the job of the butler to tidy up after all. You two ladies just continue on your way, I’ll deal with Sir Whitley.” Offering a grin and wiggling his mustache, Klein looked down at the fool of a boy he’d been tasked at serving hand and foot for several years. It was a little cathartic to see him like this, and Klein couldn’t help but swell up with joy at the safe return of Weiss. It wasn’t his place to ask what or why; all he knew if she was alive, and that was enough for him.

“Thank you Klein. Once this is all over I’ll make sure Father provides you with a raise.” Weiss gave Klein a brief hug, before turning to Ilia and motioning for her to follow. Ilia thanked Klein as well, and the two walked quickly through the hall as they heard Klein’s voice change back to the more aggressive style it had held earlier.

“Now then, what shall we do with you?”

Weiss was pleasantly surprised to find the majority of the home as empty as ever. Most of the security appeared to be patrolling the grounds and Weiss wondered if it was Ironwood’s ego or her father’s that kept most of the inner house free of security.

“So what exactly is the plan once we find your father? Knock gently on the door and then kindly ask him to be nice to the faunus?” Ilia giggled as Weiss led her through her home, but was surprised when Weiss nodded.

“Honestly, something like that yes. If I can convince him that our relationship can be used as a stepping stone to end this crisis, get the mines operational, and even provide him a PR boost for Atlesians and faunus alike, he might just listen.” Weiss seemed hesitant in her explanation, even nervous, but she continued to walk through the halls in an effort to get to her father’s office as quickly as possible.

Ilia wondered how much merit the plan really had. She’d never met Jacques Schnee, only ever heard the stories. With the treatment of the faunus in his companies mines, as well as the general attitude of the Atlesian upper class, she could only imagine his first reaction would be to condone the relationship and lock the two of them up. Ironwood had already done it once, and Ilia imagined a worst case scenario where he simply laughed at them and had them taken away.

“Are you sure he won’t just call security and have us thrown in prison?” Ilia voiced her concerns, and Weiss merely shrugged.

“Father listens to anything involving money and I’d like to think he’s willing to listen to reason if it’ll help him start lining his pockets again.” Weiss herself still wasn't hopeful their negotiations would go as smoothly as she was hoping, and she knew Ilia wasn't either. “Still, in the event things do go wrong, we make the loudest exit we can. Neither Father nor Ironwood would let any real harm come to us, but if we’re flashy enough I’m sure Ruby, Blake, and everyone else would come to our rescue in an instant.”

It was a good reminder to Ilia that they alone in this, and she had more allies than just Weiss. Still, as Weiss came to a stop at the end of a lengthy hall, Ilia’s stomach began to tie itself into knots. She could see Weiss’s fist clench as she stared at a door only a few feet from their position, and her breathing increased in pace. Ilia understood, the pressure of this discussion was a determining factor for both the military and the faunus across all of Atlas, and she gently reached over to take Weiss’s hand into her own.

“I’m here with you, through the best and worst of all that’s to come.” Ilia grinned up at Weiss, suppressing her own anxieties, and they gave one another a confident nod.

Stepping down the hall, hand in hand, Weiss reached out and with a gentle tap, knocked on the door to her father’s office.


	11. One Small Step

“I don’t give a  _ damn _ if you can’t prove he’s working with the rebels. If there’s a faunus down in those mines refusing to work, then he’s an enemy of  _ my _ company, and therefore all of Atlas. James, it is the dust and wealth I provide for your military to lets you run about with all your fancy equipment in the first place, and so help me-”

Weiss’s hand hovered an inch from the door as she heard her father shouting at his scroll. It would be their luck that they would catch him in an awful mood, and for a moment she couldn’t find the willpower to knock on the door.

Ilia squeezed Weiss’s hand tight, giving her a nod, though her face showed no sign of the confidence she was attempting to instill the heiress with. This was her first time meeting Jacques Schnee, and so far it sounded like all the horror stories were true.

With a heavy breath, Weiss tapped loudly against the door in hopes her father could hear it over his shouting. Fortunately it sounded like the conversation had just ended; he was swearing up and down about being hung up on, and with an annoyed tone offered whomever was at the door to enter.

“Weiss?” Jacques Schnee was standing, hunched over his desk, with an expression of rage that quickly turned to one of confusion as his daughter entered the room with a strange girl. He stared for a long time, recalling that last he’d heard she had disappeared shortly after arriving in Atlas. It was difficult to tell if it had simply been another of her silly little adventures, or an actual threat to his own blood, but he’d refocused his efforts entirely on dealing with the mines. She was the last person he’d expected to stroll into his office at this particular moment in time.

“Father.” Weiss stepped in with Ilia, their hands squeezing tightly against one another, and she gently shut the door behind her. With a bit of a curtsy, Weiss forced a smile across her face.

“I’m shocked to see you return home given your sudden departure the last time you were here. It cost me a healthy amount of lien to fix the window you shattered, not to mention the humiliation you brought me at the charity event.” Jacques eyes narrowed to Ilia as he adjusted his tie. Resuming his position in the seat behind his desk, he gestured for the girls to take their own seats in the office, tilting his head as his eyes scanned across the girl accompanying his daughter.

“I apologize Father, I acted inappropriately the last time I was here, but I assure you that I will not do so again.” Weiss bowed her head politely to Jacques who leaned back in his cushioned chair with a smug expression as he looked between them. Letting go of Ilia’s hands, Weiss took a seat at one end of a table with a chess set in the center of the room. Ilia took the seat across, doing her best to maintain some form of proper posture, and simply watched the two speak.

It was torture to Ilia to see this exchange. Even with the formalities between them, she could sense the icy tension in the air. She loathed the look on Jacques face as he glanced between them, but managed to remain silent as she stared back. After a moment, Jacques returned his attention to his daughter, and Ilia let out a small sigh of relief.

“Yes well, we’ll see about that. Now then, would you be so kind as to inform me where you’ve been all this time? As quickly as I’d been informed you had returned to Atlas, you just as quickly seemed to vanish. I was concerned the filthy faunus rebels in the mines were responsible for your disappearance, but it appears as if you simply went cavorting around with some commoner.” Jacques gave a dirty look to Ilia, who had to use every ounce of restraint that she could to maintain the pale color scheme of her skin. Her hands had begun to squeeze into the leather chair she was sitting in, and Weiss rose from her seat to take a position beside her.

“You’re correct Father. This is Ilia Amitola, a girl I have deemed a suitable partner in my romantic life.” Reaching down, Weiss placed a comforting hand on Ilia’s shoulder, smiling down at her. The smile faded slightly as she made a gesture towards her father with her head, and Ilia frowned as she realized what she was being asked to do.

“Pleasure to meet you sir.” Her toes curled as she turned back to the man, doing her best to speak the words with as little venom as possible. Ilia even went so far as to stand and give a small bow to the man, who simply raised his eyebrow and chuckled.

“Is this your newest way to try and make a fool of me Weiss? Dating some strange commoner girl without a drop of noble heritage in her blood?” Jacques stood, frowning as he watched their hands come together once more. Shaking his head, he rolled his eyes and turned away. “We are on the brink of war, I hope you understand that. Soon the council will be under  _ my _ control, and Atlas will begin changing for the better. If this is some poor stunt to try and ruin my reputation during such a crucial time, you’re making a poor attempt.”

“Trust me Father, ruining your reputation is not the reason I’ve brought her to meet you.” Ilia and Weiss shared a look, knowing that this was the point they’d have to explain the real reason they’d come here. Their hands pulled apart as Ilia tossed aside the coat she’d been wearing to better expose her arms. She looked to Weiss again, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, and the girl gave her a nod.

“With all due respect _ sir _ , my being a commoner should probably be the least of your worries.” Ilia took a slow breath as Jacques gave her a sideways glance over his shoulder. Slowly, he continued to turn as his jaw opened in shock, watching as Ilia’s skin began to change. The pale color she’d been maintaining darkened to a gray, then a full black. Then, in a flurry of colors, she shifted between greens, blues, reds, and any other colors that came to mind, all the while not once looking away. She glared at him, eyes narrowing as he stumbled back into the cabinet behind his desk, and she smirked as her skin tones resumed their neutral tan coloration. 

Jacques was then back at his desk in a instant, slamming his fist down onto an intercom system. He immediately began to shout for security, and Weiss spun around to point her weapon at the door. A black glyph began to spin around the handle, and she glanced back to her father as he began to panic. Even during his shouting his eyes never once left the faunus girl that had stepped into his office.

“I didn’t come here to try and make a fool of you father. I came here in hopes you would grant this relationship your blessing, and furthermore, use it to end the struggle in the mines. If a Schnee and a faunus are seen together, and you of all people is in support, then it will act as the first step in repairing all the damage you’ve done since taking over Grandfather’s company.” Weiss maintained a calm and collected appearance as she spoke, though Jacques had backed himself as far away from Ilia as possible.

“You’re insane. Dating an animal like that and then asking for my  _ approval? _ ” Ilia shot Jacques a dirty look as he continued to stare at her in a combination of disgust and fear. His eyes then looked away as the door handle jiggled, before they could see and hear the door being slammed against. The shouting of soldiers in the hallway signaled the security he’d called for had arrived, and Weiss did her best to maintain her focus on the glyph sealing it shut.

“I don’t expect you to understand our feelings, but I would hope you could see past your own prejudices and see this as an opportunity. If we come forward to the workers, convince them you’re on our side, I can promise you they will stand down.” With a step towards Weiss, Ilia stood confidently beside her, hand in hand as Jacques continued to stare at the door.

Regardless of their confidence in one another, how calmly they tried to explain themselves to Jacques and convince him to take their side, it was clear he had completely lost interest in anything they had to say. His focus was entirely on the door behind them, the pounding increasing in volume as the security forces on the other side continued to try breaking into the room.

“I can’t hold this much longer, be ready to-” Ilia and Weiss both turned their attention to the door as well, preparing themselves to deal with the soldiers that were moments from breaching the room. However, before Weiss’s aura gave out completely, she watched as another symbol overlay itself on her own. The glyph began to spin opposite hers and the two seemed to glow before shattering one another, causing the seal around the handle to break in a burst of light.

Without the glyph to lock the door, the three of them stared at it, waiting on someone to kick it open and for the room to fill with soldiers. Instead, they watched as the handle slowly turned and the door opened with gentle push. Weiss’s heart sunk as a familiar woman stepped inwards, and she took a defensive stance as Winter Schnee entered into their father’s office. Her weapon was not drawn, her hands clasped behind her back as she maintained a formal stance, and she simply looked between the three of them with a raised eyebrow. Behind her, still in the frame of the door, was a small squad of soldiers that had taken a defensive formation just outside. A few of them glanced in, but none made an attempt to follow after Winter.

“Quite the family reunion we have isn’t it?” Winter maintained a flat tone as she looked between Weiss and Jacques, before her eyes landed on Ilia. She frowned, turning back to Weiss. “So you two have become a couple then? That’s hard to believe considering the last time we spoke you could hardly tell me a thing about her. Tell me Weiss, is this really just a childish attempt to humiliate father, or do you truly have feelings for this girl.”

Ilia watched as Weiss slowly lowered her weapon while locking eyes with her sister.

“Thanks to General Ironwood the two of us have had a great deal of time to get to know one another. As it turns out, we’ve done a great deal of bonding over our mutual distaste for the situation at hand. Believe it or not, my feelings for Ilia are indeed genuine.” Winter stepped towards the pair, and Weiss could see her eyes focusing entirely on Ilia. Taking a step forward, Weiss inserted herself between Ilia and her sister.

“I must insist you step aside Weiss.” Winter’s eyes flickered from her sister to Ilia and back again, signaling her intent.

“Why? So you can interrogate my girlfriend? Call her an animal and a terrorist and toss her away in some cell because it fits your  _ agenda _ ?” Weiss’s voice was cool, remembering the heated debate they’d entered to before. It had been made clear to Weiss her sister’s particular opinions about Ilia, and she wasn’t about to let her be taken away without a fight.

“My  _ agenda _ is the ensure the safety of the citizens of Atlas. If your  _ friend _ is a threat to that, then I am under an obligation to perform an evaluation and determine what sort of danger she may pose. If you truly believe her to be innocent, then once again I must insist that you  _ step aside _ .” Winter’s eyes narrowed down at Weiss, who was slowly raising her weapon back up. To her surprise, a hand behind her placed itself gently on her shoulder, and she turned to Ilia who offered her a comforting smile.

“It’s okay Weiss, I can handle this.” Ilia’s smile faded as Weiss gave a weak nod and moved out from between them. Stepping forward, the faunus girl gazed up at Winter, providing a bit of a sneer as she introduced herself. “Ilia Amitola, pleased to meet you.”

Ilia extended a hand, and Winter couldn’t help but crack the smallest hint of a smile, clearly amused by the gesture. Playing along, Winter extended her own gloved hand and politely shook that of the girl before her.

“Winter Schnee, Specialist of the Atlesian Military and eldest sister to Weiss.” Providing a nod to her sister, Winter pulled her hand away and placed it once again behind her back. The amused expression faded as she glared down at Ilia. “I’m going to ask you a few questions, and it is in everyone’s best interest if you are honest with me. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Their eyes were locked on one another, neither side blinking as Ilia nodded. Weiss did her best to refrain from speaking up, though she worried if Ilia would really be able to continue standing up to Winter as she questioned her.

“Until you encountered the General and were subsequently placed under house arrest with my sister, were you or were you not aiding in the growing rebellion consisting of faunus workers within the Schnee Dust Company mines?” Winter had gone straight to the criminal accusations, and she was surprised to see Ilia not so much as flinch. She expected some form of lengthy response, filled with excuses and reason, but was surprised by a more simplified answer.

“I was.”

“Prior to your time among the rebels, did you or did you not spend time as a member of the organization formerly known as the White Fang.”

“I did.”

“Would you say you have spent a great deal of your life loathing humanity, performing acts that would endanger human lives in an attempt to push a faunus agenda?”

“I have.”

The entire room was silent as Winter and Ilia continued to stare at one another, and even the guards outside the door seemed to be frozen as they listened in on the conversation. It felt like the instant someone took a breath, something may happen, and Weiss could only look between her sister and Ilia as she waited to see what Winter would do next.

“Well there it is!” Jacques eventually broke the silence, everyone’s gaze turning to him as he gestured wildly at Ilia. “She’s admitted to her crimes! She’s a terrorist and a threat to Atlas. Arrest her at once!”

Another lingering silence filled the room as his eyes moved pleadingly from Winter to the soldiers just outside the office. None of them so much as moved a muscle at his command, and he seemed to shrink back into the corner he’d been pressing himself into whilst staring at the security forces in confusion.

“Unfortunately Father, you're not the one giving orders at present.” Giving an amused look to her father, watching him squirm in discomfort behind his desk, Winter turned back to Ilia. Pulling an arm from her back, she reached forward towards the girl, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. 

Weiss stood ready, watching the hand on Ilia for any sign it was going to squeeze or try and pull her away. Instead, it simply rested on her shoulder with no signs of hostility.

“Last question.” The stern and cold expression Winter had been maintaining during the entire conversation seemed to vanish. Her expression turned soft as she offered a smile to Ilia. “Do you truly have feelings towards my sister, and do you really believe that the two of you can actually make a difference in this conflict?”

Ilia was taken aback by the question. The hand reaching towards her had caused her heart to skip a beat, and her mind had briefly been prepared to move out of the way or even throw a punch if necessary. After composing herself for a moment, she looked to Weiss beside her, and all her anxiety and stress was replaced with a wide smile.

“The answer to both of your questions is yes, yes I do.” Ilia turned back to Winter, maintaining the confident smile. Winter retracted her hand with a small grin of her own and resumed her upright and formal stance.

“Well, I suppose that’s all there is to it then. We leave immediately.” Winter gave a brief smile to the two of them, before glancing towards her father. “Am I to assume you’ll be joining us to take credit for this breakthrough, or would you rather hide in your office surrounded by soldiers while your daughters do all the work for you?”

Jacques Schnee was stunned by the sudden turn things had taken. His mouth was open, forehead dripping with sweat, and it took him more than a few moments to respond.

“You can’t be serious. You’re going to let her go just like that? The girl admitted to having been a terrorist, she’s aided the very rebels you’re talking about taking her to see!” Jacques stepped towards his desk, slamming his fist on the table. “You cannot allow to her come into my home, threaten my company, and then walk away as if nothing has happened!”

“I believe the only one using the term  _ terrorist _ has been you father. If anything, she’s been more like a spy for our side than anything else. You did aid in the dismantling of the White Fang did you not?” Winter glanced to Ilia, who gave a quick nod in response. “You see? This girl has become a valuable asset in this conflict, and it would be a shame to waste her potential by leaving her locked behind bars. As for her crimes, well, let's just consider this a form of community service and leave it at that. Now, will you be joining us to announce your daughter has found a suitor, or are you going to continue to hide in this office trying to bark orders at the council?”

“What are you on about? I’m not about to step in front of a bunch of filthy faunus to announce my daughter is with one of those  _ animals _ .” Jacques shook his head as he glared at Winter. It was as if she was making his decisions for him, and she simply laughed.

“You surprise me Father. Of all the people involved in this, you stand to benefit the most. Some pretty words at a podium and you can come out of this a very wealth hero of the people. I imagine that after a few negotiations, your mines will be back in operation, and it will hardly cost you a cent. Especially compared to the amount you’ve been shouting at my soldiers in an attempt to get them to form some form of kill squad.” Winter stepped past Weiss and Ilia towards Jacques, who took a step back.

“As if I could degrade myself in such a fashion. Giving into their demands, risking the reputation of the Schnee Dust Company…” His brow was sweating as he attempted to stand his ground, but as Winter dragged a single finger across his desk to observe the cleanliness of it, he gulped and took a heavy breath.

“One way or another, I’m sure word of Weiss and Ilia is going to get out. In fact, I’ll make sure of it. Face it, the world is changing Father, and you can either profit off of it like you always have, or you can hide away in this office and continue to yell at your scroll in hopes someone eventually listens to you. Your choice.” Winter turned her back to her father, making her way towards the door. With a snap of her fingers, she watched the soldiers on the other side step into formation.

Weiss and Ilia stood in the center of the room, glancing back at Jacques. He looked so pitiful now, and the two of them could only smile as they realized they’d just cleared their next objective. Seeing Winter leaving the room, having announced they would be leaving immediately, the two girls followed close behind. Just before reaching the threshold of the door, a cough behind them caused the trio to turn back to the man in the corner.

“Very well.” They turned to see Jacques adjusting his tie whilst also withdrawing a handkerchief from his desk. He began to wipe off the thin layer of sweat that coated his face before standing upright and feigning a sense of pride. “I’m not so small a man that I cannot admit when I’m beat. If this is the only step that can be taken forward, I would rather be the man leading Atlas into the future than the old holding it back. I will join you and publicly announce your relationship to the people of Atlas.”

Weiss turned to look back at her father, and for a moment she felt as if she was caught in some sort of beautiful dream. Her hand left Ilia’s as she took a few steps across the room, and unable to find the words, she extended her arms out to give the man she had loathed for so long a hug.

Jacques raised both arms in surprise, his breath escaping him as well, as he felt the embrace of his daughter. She stepped away, smiling ear to ear, and he did his best to maintain no sign of emotion.

“This is only for the sake of the public and the company, I hope you understand this Weiss. I still do not approve of any of this, but if playing along is the only way for this silly conflict to end and my mines to open back up, I suppose I have no choice.” Jacques gave a brief stare to Ilia, who was doing her best to hide her thorough enjoyment of his admitting defeated, before glancing back down to Weiss.

“I know Father, but it’s a start. I’m sure that you’ll change your mind soon enough.” Weiss quickly made her way back to Ilia’s side, giving her an excited kiss on the cheek. Jacques sneered slightly before taking a step from behind his desk and following the group from the office.

“Very well. I shall inform General Ironwood that we will be departing for the mines immediately. I do hope you haven’t forgotten how to deliver a speech in the time you’ve been locked away in your office.” Winter gave a glance to Jacques, imagining the entire plan failing spectacularly as he delivers a pathetic speech to the rebels.

“If I’ve managed to keep the shareholders invested during a dust embargo, I’m sure I can convince a few an-” Jacques met eyes with Ilia for a moment, and he did his best to cough it off and reword his sentence. “I’m sure I can convince the faunus laborers to put down their weapons and resume working with a handful of small promises.”

“We’ll see about that now won’t we?” Winter escorted the group through a side door of the property and onto a landing pad where a ship was already touching down. As Jacques stepped aboard along side several soldiers, Weiss and Ilia were doing their best to stay calm.

“I can’t believe we’ve come this far.” Ilia grinned to Weiss, who nodded her head slowly. The air around them was almost electric with their combined excitement, and they stopped just short of the platform up into the transport ship.

“Honestly I’m half expecting to wake up back at the villa any moment now. Just remember though, we’re not done yet. Father has to deliver some form of impressive speech, and we have to convince the rebels he’s sincere. If we fail here, we may only serve to make the situation worse than it already is.” Weiss detested the fact that the fate of this conflict was entirely in the hands of her father. He’d taken at least the tiniest step towards being a semi-decent person, but she couldn’t help but wonder if he would be a large enough step to get through this successfully.

“Well, I guess the two of us will just have to do the heavy lifting then. Even if they don’t believe him entirely, I know we can get them to believe us.” Ilia embraced Weiss, giving her a lengthy kiss on the lips, before Winter whistled for them to break it up and get on board. Hand in the, the two sat beside one another on the transport, and gazed out the window as the world around them shrank away.

In a matter of hours, they both knew this conflict would either be over, or the rebels would be at war with Atlas. No matter the outcome, they would be by each others side until the end.


	12. Preparations

As the ship flew towards the edge of Atlas in preparation to descend down to the mines, Winter spent a few moments catching them up on how the situation had evolved. The mines had completely ceased operations, and the faunus workers had even gone so far as to post armed guards outside the tunnels. At present, the Atlesian Military had established a perimeter hard-light fence as a barrier between the two sides, and were under orders to hold their fire unless they are attacked first. When her briefing was finished, Winter left for the cockpit, and silence fell across the ship.

“I’m kind of nervous, ya know? I mean, so far I haven’t exactly been impressed by your father’s attitude. Are you sure he’s going to be able to manage this?” Ilia kept her voice low as she spoke to Weiss, glancing across the ship towards Jacques Schnee. The man was busy adjusting his hair in the reflection of a small hand mirror, and she couldn’t help but shake her head before returning her attention back to Weiss.

“Well you heard what he said in his office, he knows when he’s been beaten. Father has exhausted all of his options, and if he ever hopes for the Schnee Dust Company to continue to function this is the last option he has, and he knows that. ” Weiss gave a comforting grin to Ilia, before also glancing over to her father, who had taken a seat in the corner to ensure that he would be as far away from the pair as possible. “Although now that you mention, he does seem a little  _ too _ calm going into this.

The pair continued to look over at the man who, only a few minutes ago, had been trembling in a corner like a terrified child. His agreeing to come had seemed like a miracle and a dream to Weiss, and as much as she really wanted to believe her father had changed, something continued to tug at the back of her mind. As he lowered the mirror, his eyes briefly met theirs as they stared, and he snapped his attention to the window across from him.

“Still, I should probably go talk to him.” Ilia went to stand, though Weiss pulled her back down looking concerned. “Look, I’m not going to hurt the man, but I think if he’s going to give a speech about us he should at least know like, how we met and stuff, right?”

Weiss pursed her lips, knowing that Ilia was the last person in the world her father would want to talk to regarding their relationship. His reaction in the office had been proof enough that he’d prefer to be as far away from her as possible, and a up close conversation would likely cause him to snap.

“Maybe I should do it. He’ll listen to me, and let’s face it, I don’t think he’s your biggest fan.” It was Weiss’s turn to try and stand, and in a similar fashion, Ilia pulled her back down with a grin.

“Trust me, this is a conversation I’ve been dying to have with him for a while. Besides, I know the faunus perspective as well. We can’t risk him saying or doing anything that would trigger a firefight after all.” Ilia leaned forward and gave Weiss a kiss on the cheek as she nodded. “It’ll be fine, just stay right here and I’ll be back before we land.”

As Ilia stood and turned from her, Weiss’s hands balled up the edges of her dress as she stared anxiously after her girlfriend. Part of her would no doubt enjoy seeing her father’s discomfort at the sudden close proximity of a faunus, but she worried that he might try and lash out against Ilia if she pushes too many of his buttons. Still, Weiss trusted that Ilia knew what she was doing, and simply watched from the other side of the ship.

Jacques Schnee had been lost in his thoughts about the next few hours when a figure stepped into his vision. Turning his head, he jolted back in his seat as he realized Ilia had approached him and his eyes immediately snapped to the weapon at her side. Jacques let his eyes linger for a moment before slowly lifting his head to face the girl, and his lips curled as their eyes met.

“Nice to see you too. Let’s talk.” Ilia leaned against the wall of the ship, one hand raised to hold a grip above, and she stared down at Jacques who simply shook his head.

“Dear girl, I have nothing to talk to you about, so why don’t you return to your seat before you put me in a foul mood.” Jacques smirked, leaning back in his seat with an air of smugness. Unfortunately, this brief sense of power faded as Ilia continued to stare down without any signs she would be leaving him alone.

“Perfect then. If you have nothing to talk about then it means you can sit there, shut the hell up, and listen to what I have to say.” Ilia’s eyes narrowed as her mouth thinned, and Jacques took a heavy breath, nostrils flaring, as he glared back up at her. As much rage was boiling just under the surface however, Jacques did not speak as Ilia formed a small smile. “Good man.”

Weiss watched as a few guards gave sideways glances to the exchange, but otherwise nobody moved a muscle as Jacques and Ilia exchanged distasteful glares. She couldn’t quite hear the conversation, Ilia’s voice had lowered somewhat, and she leaned forward in an attempt to try and make out any words that were being spoken.

“Now, I get the feeling that you’re a little too comfortable with this little plan we’ve put together. I mean after all, you have to deliver a speech to rebels you know nothing about regarding a relationship you only  _ just _ learned existed. If anything, I’d just like to get you up to speed and set down a few  _ ground rules _ .” Ilia watched as Jacques’ eyes scanned hers, and he gave a false smile, nodding his head in a mocking fashion

“Of course.” His response was laced with venom, though Ilia had expected nothing less.

“We’ll start with the rule then. There’s only but, but it’s important, so I suggest you listen  _ very  _ carefully.” Ilia leaned closer, the distance between her face and Jacques growing ever smaller as her voice lowered to a near whisper. “If you, at any point, do or say  _ anything _ in an attempt to instigate a fight, to force the rebel’s into shooting first so you can run and hide behind your wall of soldiers as the victim, I want you to know you will  _ not _ get away unharmed. If you are responsible for this peace talk turning into a slaughter,  _ I will kill you. _ ”

Jacques’ eyes went wide, the powerful front he’d been putting up all but evaporated. Ilia pulled away, her eyes filled with bloodlust, and she watched as he gulped. His eyes tore away from hers, his face filled with fear and a hint of guilt, and Ilia snarled somewhat as she sensed her assumption about his plans had been correct.

“Are you hearing this!?” Jacques had turned his head away from Ilia to the soldier next at him, who had his lips pursed as he did his best to show as little reaction as possible.

“Hm? Sorry sir, I only hear what Miss Schnee says I hear, and at present she’s with the pilot.” Nodding his head towards the door to the front of the ship, the soldier resumed his silence and looked straight ahead. Jacques stared at him in disbelief before turning his eyes back to the girl that had just threatened his life.

“Now that the rules, well, rule, is taken care of, let’s talk about Weiss.” The intense energy that Ilia had put out a moment ago faded somewhat as she smiled. “I truly do care for her, and regardless of your feelings on the matter, we  _ are _ together. If you’re going to deliver a speech about us, about how happy you are about this relationship, then I think it’s best to fill you in on a few key details.”

Jacques continued to just stare at Ilia, and she had no idea if he was even capable of listening to her at this point. His entire body was shaking and she couldn’t quite tell if it was due to the turbulence, or out of fear. Either way, she didn’t care, and she continued with their chat.

“We met in Mistral, where I aided the humans in defeating Adam Taurus and stopping the White Fang’s attack on Haven Academy. Shortly after that, I rescued your daughter's life by putting my own on the line, and brought her to the Atlesian Military, where we were kept safe and sound together. Our relationship blossomed into something beautiful, and coming together we felt that our love could put an end to the bad blood between the faunus and the humans here in Atlas. Of course, it was difficult for you to accept at first, but we opened your eyes to the possibilities, and now you’re a changed man.”

Ilia gestured dramatically as she spoke, envisioning the speech being as powerful and moving as it would need to be for things to really come out okay. Jacques could only nod his head, mouth too dry to speak, and he looked like he was going to be sick. 

“As for the rebels, don’t forget that most of their complaints are directed at you. They do work for you after all, and with the branding, the terrible working conditions, the awful living conditions…” Ilia recalled memories of her childhood, spent playing in mines similar to the ones she’d recently been staying in. The working and living conditions had both worsened considerably in the time she’d been away, and she knew just how much Jacques had to make up for. “You’re to apologize for all of it, and let the world know that you’ll be pouring _millions_ of lien into projects to improve both working and living conditions for all of your workers, humans  _ and _ faunus alike.”

Jacques briefly snapped out of the frozen state of fear he’d entered at the mention of his wealth. His panic had turned to anger as she demanded he both set aside his pride, as well as a great deal of his wealth, to deal with this conflict.

“Millions? You expect me-” Jacques’ brief outburst was immediately silenced as a fist passed within an inch of his face. He could hear the metal reverberate from the impact as Ilia’s arm took up most of his peripheral vision.

“Millions, no fighting, and you’re happy for your daughter.” Ilia pulled her hand back, showing the intense redness and even small drops of blood escaping from the wound. “Do you understand?”

“I...yes.” Jacques seemed to deflate somewhat in his seat as Ilia grinned down at him.

“Perfect. I look forward to your speech.” Ilia gave another smirk to Jacques before standing upright and stepping back across the ship to Weiss, who was looking over with a combination of horror and confusion.

“What the hell did you two talk about!?” Weiss’s eyes were locked on the injury Ilia had given herself as she resumed sitting beside her. She immediately lifted the hand up to look over it in a panic.

“Oh just, you know, making sure we’re both on the same page in all of this.” Pursing her lips Ilia glanced at the wound on her hand as the glow of her aura flickered across her body. The busted parts of her skin sealed shut as the injury steadily healed itself, though she winced a little at Weiss's touch. “Not gonna lie though, that  _ really _ hurt.”

Weiss chuckled as she looked past Ilia back at her father, who had begun to nervously clench and unclench is hands in repeat fashion. Whatever Ilia had said to the man it had certainly made an impression. Turning back to her, she withdrew a small handkerchief and began to wipe off the blood from Ilia’s hand shaking her head.

“I really hope this works out.” Weiss’s tone took a somber turn as she rubbed her thumb gently across Ilia’s palm. “So far the only thing we’ve been risking are ourselves through this, but now there are hundreds if not thousands of lives that will change based on tonight. Do you really think the rebels will listen to us? To  _ him? _ ”

Weiss gestured towards her father, wondering if the rebels wouldn’t simply try and open fire on him the instant he walked on stage. Her time among them hadn’t been particularly lengthy, but the faunus Kobichi seemed like he’d do his best to try and take advantage of an opportunity like this as soon as it presented itself. Maybe this was all a mistake, practically delivering Jacques Schnee to a group of rebels that hated every fiber of his being.

“Just the fact he’s willing to show up is a gesture that I think many of them will acknowledge. Even if they don’t believe his speech entirely, and I imagine they won’t, the two of us will definitely be able to convince them to stand down.” Ilia’s eyes turned soft with a hopeful look to Weiss, who couldn’t help but give a nod and a smile. “I’ve been with the workers, and not all of them are as bloodthirsty as Kobichi. It’ll all work out, I know it will.”

Ilia gave a gentle kiss to Weiss, and they could hear the door to the cockpit slide open. Everyone glanced in the direction of Winter as she stepped in, her eyes scanning through the room before she began to pace back and forth across the hold.

“We’ll be landing shortly within the military outpost on the edge of the mines. There, we will be greeted by General Ironwood and led to a briefing area while a stage and camera crews are given time to prepare. It is my understanding there will be about an hour until you’re to go on.” Winter’s expression was flat as she looked from Ilia to Weiss, and then to Jacques. “Precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of everyone, but I must stress that this is an incredibly volatile situation. Do not do anything rash, and let’s get through this without any issues.”

Winter’s gaze lingered on Jacques as she finished this statement, noting his rather distressed state, before returning through the door to the cockpit.

As the ship descended, Ilia and Weiss looked through the windows once more. It was an entirely different scene than the one they’d seen when leaving the mines a few weeks prior. Walls of hard-light created a perimeter around what had been turned into trenches and bunkers within the earth. Both sides seemed to be patrolling their half, weapons in hands, and Weiss briefly glimpsed a massive faunus sitting on top of a small mountain of earth staring across at the military. If she had to guess, it was likely Kobichi, but before she could get a decent look at him the transport had settled down within the military encampment.

As soon as the doors opened, Winter and her soldiers all stood and stepped off the platform in unison. Weiss, Ilia, and Jacques followed shortly behind, and Winter stood at attention as General Ironwood came to greet them. His eyes were down, skimming through a manila folder with a massive stack of papers within. As he looked to them, his eyes met Jacques, who seemed to offer him a smile.

“Ah, James, pleasure to see you as always. I see you’ve done a wonderful job controlling the situation thus far. Is there any chance you and the council could inform my daughters how absurd this speech is so that I might return home?” Ilia took a step towards Jacques, fist clenched and skin steadily changing to red, as she watched him try to yet again weasel out of their agreement.

“On the contrary Jacques, the council is rather impressed with your sudden change in attitude. Your willingness to take it upon yourself to face these rebels and personally negotiate with them has provided a new appreciation of what you do for Atlas. In fact, if all goes well they’re willing to actually start answering your calls.” Ironwood glanced back down to the files in his hands, before closing the folder and looking back to Jacques, who appeared to be at a loss for words.

“Father, if you’d come with me there is a crew ready to prepare you for the speech.” Winter was gesturing for Jacques to follow her, and the man could only stumble along as his last chance at getting out of the speech vanished before his eyes. Ironwood watched as Jacques was escorted away by Winter before approaching Weiss and Ilia with a bit of a frown.

“Miss Schnee, Miss Amitola. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation we’re facing. If this speech does not go well, I can almost guarantee lives will be lost. Are you both certain this is truly the best course of action?” Ironwood took a heavy breath as he looked between them.

“I promise you General, that if Jacques delivers on his part of this, we can make the rebels listen.” Ilia’s fingers intertwined with Weiss’s as she returned Ironwood’s gaze with a confident grin. “Nobody wants this to end in violence, and if they see that  _ Jacques Schnee _ of all people is willing to come forward to extend even the tiniest olive branch of peace, they’ll at least give it some thought.”

“I don’t understand though, if you don’t think this is going to work then why go through all the effort? You could just have easily turned us down and tried to lock us away again.” Ironwood turned to Weiss, and he let out another heavy sigh.

“While it is true that I believe this plan has very little merit, it is unfortunately one of the only remaining plans we have that can end this rebellion before any blood is shed. My duty, first and foremost, is to the people of Atlas.” Ironwood turned from the girls, his arm sweeping as he motioned to the military compound and towards the mines. “Everyone here, be it the soldiers, the civilians, or the workers, is a citizen of Atlas. It is my duty as a general to keep the people of my city safe, and when faced with the risk of losing so many, every alternative is preferable to war.”

“Of course sir, and I cannot thank you enough for the opportunity. I promise, we won’t let you down.” Ironwood turned his gaze back to Ilia, whose confidence had not wavered in the slightest. His eyes glanced down to her hand, interlocked with Weiss's, before raising them up again.

“We will see about that, but know that there will be no second attempt at tonight. If this fails, you will both be returned to protective custody, and this will be put to a _very_ swift end.” Ironwood’s hand clenched tightly onto the folder, before shaking his head. “I suggest you both get ready. I have my own business to attend to before things proceed. Good luck.”

Weiss and Ilia nodded as Ironwood dismissed himself. They watched as he ducked into a nearby tent, before they tried to follow after in the direction Jacques and Winter had gone in. All around them were soldiers and identical tents, and for several moments the best they could do was wander through the sea of identical uniforms in hopes they figured out where they needed to be.

“Miss Schnee!” Weiss turned her head, trying to look through the crowd, when she noticed a soldier fast approaching. He held his position a few feet from them, hands crossed behind his back, and snapped to attention. “I’m here to escort you to a waiting area near the stage. Outfits as well as several beauty products have been provided for your use as you see fit. You have approximately 45 minutes to prepare before the speech begins. Please, come with me.”

Weiss and Ilia glanced to one another, exchanging hopeful nods, before they followed after the soldier. They’d begun to move closer to the border between the military and the rebels, and Weiss could better see the hard-light fence that stretched across the edge of the mines. There were mounted guns, dozens of soldiers, and even a handful of paladins, all facing in the general direction of the workers across from them. It was amazing to Weiss that this hadn’t already broken into a full blown firefight.

Stepping into the tent the soldier had led them to, Ilia and Weiss were surprised by the number of outfits that had been provided. There were five entirely filled racks with clothing, though Ilia couldn’t help but chuckle to herself as she noted the entirely white and blue color scheme that every article of cloth adhered to. On either side of the tent there were also beauty stations, endless supplies of brushes, lipsticks, and every type of makeup one could imagine.

The girls each picked out one of the first outfits they came across, anything that would fit was ideal, and changed opposite one another. Weiss had been pleased to find a snowy blue dress nearly identical to the one she’d left home with, and Ilia settled on another white top beneath a blue vest with matching blue bottoms. It had been an outfit she’d become accustomed to wearing over the past few weeks, and those weeks had been almost entirely pleasant. After several minutes, finally checking one another's makeup and deciding this was the best they’d get without showers and a spa day, they sat together, Ilia resting her head on Weiss’s shoulder.

“So…” Ilia wasn’t quite sure what to say at this point. All they could do was wait, but the silence of the tent compared to all the noise outside was driving her a little crazy. “Took me home to meet the family, I tased your brother, and now we’re basically blackmailing your father into giving a speech to his own workers to keep them from revolting against Atlas. What a day.”

“Not how I expected to introduce a suitor to my parents that’s for sure.” Weiss giggled a little, and Ilia lifted her head up as the pair looked at one another. “Is it weird to say that, despite all that’s happened, I’m almost glad I got kidnapped that first day?”

“I thought you didn’t like the whole  _ damsel in distress _ motif though. I mean, this all started because I was essentially your valiant knight, rescuing you from the clutches of an evil villain and whisking you away to safety.” Ilia stuck her tongue out, and Weiss could only grin while rolling her eyes.

“True, but I don’t remember any fairy tale princes being escorted into custody by the military after rescuing their fair maidens either.” Weiss snickered as Ilia shrugged.

“Good thing I’m not a prince then. Besides, now  we’ve got our own fairy tale to tell, where the rugged girl from the bad part of town rescues the heiress, and after overcoming many hardships, the two fall madly in love and put a stop to a war before it even begins.” Ilia did some dramatic gestures, similar to those she’d made on the ship earlier when talking with Jacques, and Weiss tilted her head as she spoke.

“I think you’re getting a little ahead of the story there. We haven’t put a stop to the war yet you know.” Weiss turned away, glancing between the tent flaps as a number of lights centered near the border began to flash on. She turned back to Ilia, who continued to smile.

“Well, what would a fairy tale be without a happy ending?” Leaning forward, Ilia pressed her lips into Weiss’s, and the two let the kiss linger in the now comforting silence.

“Ladies.” The soldier that had escorted them to the tent had returned, and he spoke from the other side of the tent. “If you would, it’s time.”

Their lips pulled apart, their hands connecting between them, as they both took a series of breaths to get them focused. Standing, they exited the tent, following the soldier through paths that had been tread into the dirt, and found themselves approaching a massive stage. On all corners were poles that Weiss recognized as similar design to the defense systems in Argus.

“Now if there’s even so much as a hint of gunfire, the defenses are designed to activate automatically. If we have them up from the start, we worry your speech may feel less sincere coming from inside of a box, but I assure you everything is designed to keep you safe.”

Weiss and Ilia could see Jacques standing at a set of stairs leading up to the stage. He was combing through his hair one final time as the camera crew swarmed around them to get everything in place. A man beside him was going through final notes for the speech, when the two saw Ilia and Weiss approaching. With a bow, he dismissed himself to leave the three to talk.

“I don’t suppose you’ve given up on this silly little dream yet. You realize the amount of danger you’re forcing us all into right?” Jacques clearly still hadn’t given up on trying to get out of the speech, but he was far from the trembling being he had been through the day.

“No Father, I haven’t.” Weiss watched as Jacques shook his head and muttered briefly to himself, before Ilia took a step forward.

“You haven’t forgotten our little talk yet have you?” Ilia smirked at him, to which he responded with a slight snarl, before taking a breath and shaking his head.

“No, I have not. Believe me, our discussion is still fresh in my mind.” Jacques let out another breath, calming himself as he remembered the threat Ilia had made against him in the event things went wrong. Weiss gave them a confused look, but before she could ask about their discussion, there was a shrill noise as the speaker system came online, and a soldier gestured for them to take the stage.

Even with the air as chilly as it had been, the lights on the stage made it feel like a furnace. They were briefly blinded as they ascended onto a massive wooden platform with defensive hard-light generators on all corners, a pair of chairs to the side, and a huge podium in the center. Weiss and Ilia stepped to the side, ensuring they were hand in hand, and took their seats as Jacques approached the podium.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, they looked out at the rebels across from them, all gazing in their direction. The majority of workers closer to the podium didn’t seem to have any weapons on them, and were in a rather dense grouping. Beyond them however, armed rebels were dispersed through the trenches, the muzzles of guns reaching through constructed bunkers within the stone, and at the center of it all, was Kobichi.

Sitting cross legged atop a stone pillar in the center of the rebels, he had the strap of an RPG across his front, the ends of the weapon barely appearing on either side of his body, and he stared across at Jacques with a snarl. The boar faunus had not yet made any signs he was going to attack outright, and remained in his seated position as Jacques stepped forward. They took that as a sign that, at the very least, the rebels would hear them out.

“Ahem.” Jacques tested the microphones, his voice booming out to the soldiers, the workers, and all of Atlas.

“Ladies. Gentlemen. Humans. Faunus…”


	13. Path to the Future

Weiss and Ilia stared out, hand in hand, across the workers and rebels directly across from them. It felt as if their hands were going to crush one another, the pressure of the situation growing with every second. They constantly looked between the faces of those before them, glancing from the crowd of workers, to Kobichi atop his pillar, and then to Jacques, looking for any hints of what was going through their minds at that very moment. They both maintained calm outer appearances, but inside their minds were going haywire, the only thing keeping them calm in this moment was being beside one another. As Jacques began his speech, they focused their attention on him as he spoke, praying that they would make it through the night without any blood being shed.

“For those who may not know who I am, my name is Jacques Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company and head of the Schnee family. However, today I come before you bearing none of those titles. I come before you as an equal, a fellow citizen of Atlas, and I implore you to lay down your arms so that we may negotiate a form of peace between our peoples. When this speech is over, I wish to sit down at a table to talk one on one with your leaders, and find a way to begin to repair the damage that has been done over the years.” 

Jacques offered a smile to the workers closest to the stage, though Weiss and Ilia both could see his hands turning whiter than usual as his grip on the podium tightened. He pulled one away, extending a hand towards the workers, who could only murmur amongst one another as they looked up at the face of the company that had made their lives a hell. Realizing his opening remarks hadn’t had the impact he had hoped for, Jacques withdrew his hand and continued his speech.

“Now then, I know many of you may have doubts about my intentions coming before you. The fact that you are workers for my company, that the conditions you’ve suffered through may be attributed to me; I wish to put all of that behind us. With the fall of Beacon, the attack on Haven Academy, and the recent closing of the Atlesian Borders, it is clear that there is something larger than our petty conflict at work in the world of Remnant. Something that requires us to stand united, all as equal members of the Kingdom of Atlas, and it is to that goal that I hereby announce a new initiative within my company. This initiative’s goal, starting immediately, will be to improve the lives of all workers in the Schnee Dust Company, faunus and human alike. It is due to your hard work that the company continues to run, and for your effort you deserve far more rewards than what I see around us today.”

Jacques hands gestured out across the battlefield that had once been the mines. His eyes scanned the horizon, where his arm continued to sweep out towards the barren wasteland around them. Even with the military perimeter, the ghettos that the workers had been forced to live in for years could be seen in the distance. As cameras lifted in the air, zooming in on the housing that faunus workers had found themselves in, another murmur went through the crowd, and this time the three on stage could see more positive expressions creeping across the faces of some of the workers. Jacques nodded to himself, confident in the response, before sweeping his arm across to Weiss and Ilia sitting a short distance from him.

“Furthermore, I would like to announce to the faunus laborers, as well as all of Atlas, that my daughter Weiss Schnee has found herself an appropriate suitor.” Jacques nodded to Ilia, and the girls stood, looking out to the crowd. A camera drone came relatively close, sweeping across them from side to side as they awkwardly smiled into the lens. “Ilia Amitola, a girl who until recently was staying amongst the rebels, risked her life in order to save my daughter. For that, I am eternally grateful. Furthermore, not only has she rescued my daughter, but the two have spent a great deal of time with one another in the past weeks and have formed a beautiful and blossoming relationship together."

Ilia and Weiss took a few steps forward towards the edge of the stage, holding hands and grinning ear to ear as their cheeks burned red. They looked from the workers to Jacques, able to tell right away how tightly he was gritting his teeth as he forced a smile towards the two of them. The two then took a few steps back, returning to their seats, as Jacques resumed facing the crowd.

“Those who know me personally, and even those who have only heard rumors, may feel that I have had a certain distaste for the faunus.” Another wave of whispers and laughs went through the workers, their mood somewhat more positive than it had been at the start of the speech. “I will admit, for a time I did, and for that I apologize. However, having met Ilia, and my heart being warmed by my own daughter’s love for a faunus girl, that stance has changed. I know there is a long road ahead to repair the damage I have caused to the faunus of Atlas, but my daughter has more than convinced me that it is time to change my ways and begin to take the first steps in uniting the entirety of Atlas. Faunus, Human, Noble, Worker, we must all stand united with a collective pride in our Kingdom if we are to weather the storm looming on the horizon.”

There was a period of silence as Jacques finished speaking, and by his breathing it was clear his heart was beating a mile a minute. His hands remained clenched on the podium as he stared out at the workers, his eyes finally lingering on Kobichi, who didn’t so much as flinch as he finished his speech.

However, all eyes then snapped away from the pillar, away from the leader of the rebels and to the workers only a few yards from the stage. A stag faunus near the front had clapped his hands together, and smiles began to snake their way through the crowd as more applause came from the workers below. Jacques felt like a weight had been lifted as his grip loosened, and he took a steady breath before motioning once more to Ilia and Weiss.

“Now then, I believe young Ilia has a few things she would like to say as well, and I leave it to her to conclude tonight’s speech. When she is finished, if you would allow me, I would like to begin immediate negotiations to bridge the gap between us and usher in peace between our people. For now however...” Jacques stepped away from the podium, making a  motion with his arms for Ilia to take his place.

Ilia turned to Weiss, the two girls taking a few breaths together before sharing the briefest of kisses. Standing, Ilia let her hand break away from Weiss as she gave a polite bow to Jacques and stepped forward.

“I hope you’re pleased.” Jacques sat beside Weiss, still beaming towards the crowd, though she could tell he was far from happy in the current circumstances.

“You did excellent Father, thank you.” Weiss smiled to Jacques, who took a shaky breath and forced a smile back, before facing Ilia as she prepared to speak.

“Faunus of the SDC, my name is Ilia Amitola, and many of us know each other already.” Ilia paused for a moment, making eye contact with a few of the workers in the crowd and exchanging smiles. “When I was a girl, I myself was raised in Schnee mines, I know what it’s like to live in these harsh conditions, working day after day hoping you make enough to be able to provide for your family, to stay warm and to have a meal to eat before bed. I understand your struggle, and the pain you’re going through, but violence is not the answer.”

Ilia’s eyes then met Kobichi, who flared his nostrils and raised himself up on the pillar. His arms remained crossed and he made no attempts to grab his weapon, but behind her Weiss could a flurry of communication passing through the soldiers as people began to move in seemingly all directions at once.

“Before I came here to aid the faunus, I myself spent a great deal of time fighting for our rights in much the same way you are trying to now. The organization known as the White Fang once believed in fighting for equal rights as well, but their protests and willingness to negotiate were replaced with violence, acts of terrorism, and very quickly they lost sight of the one thing the faunus have desired since the beginning. A chance to be equal with the humans, to have the same rights, the same jobs, the same wages, living conditions, and so on. The faunus wish to live just as the humans do, and today this man is willing to set aside his pride and give us a chance at our dream.”

Ilia turned to Jacques, extending a hand towards him, and watched as he squirmed slightly with the sudden spotlight returning to him. He gave a nod towards Ilia, forcing himself to continue to remain upright and smiling as camera drones whirred in his direction from all angles. After a moment, the drones returned to focusing on the podium as Ilia returned her attention to the rebels in front of her.

“This is your chance to negotiate for what you want through peaceful methods, and not violence. I have seen the path that violence takes, how it ends for us if we try and take things into our own hands and use tactics of fear instead of peace. The White Fang is gone, destroyed by their own thirst for power, and if we follow in their footsteps then we too will face the exact same fate that they did.” Ilia had once again seemed to turn all of her attention to Kobichi, who tilted his head while continuing to glare down at her. “I’ve hated humans, believe me I get it. I lost my parents to a mining incident, listened as Atlesian girls laughed at the news without a hint of remorse, and have felt in the past that violence was the solution to make the humans really understand how I felt…”

Ilia’s body blossomed into reds and yellows as she clenched her hands tightly onto the podium. The crowd standing across from her whispered to one another as she changed, and after a few calming breaths, Ilia’s skin returned to its original state.

“But I understand something different now. I understand what it takes to get to know a human, to spend time with them, and become equals through compassion and not hate.” Ilia turned to Weiss, offering her a teary eyed smiled, before looking back to the crowd. “I know it seems crazy, to give up the power you have and trust in the very people you’re trying to fight against, but if Jacques Schnee of all people is willing to let go of the past and try and take the first step forward in giving our kind a chance, then we’d be insane to refuse.”

Ilia wiped her eyes on her arms as the crowd started to cheer for her. She smiled out at the eager faces, and her eyes darted between rebels within the trenches who were standing up, exposing themselves from their entrenched positions, and many of them even setting aside their weapons. The cheering continued, and everyone was looking between one another with a great deal of hope.

“How much is he payin ya?” Kobichi’s voice cut through the hope and the cheering as she shouted out across the field. “How much did it cost you to sell our yer own kind? You took that Schnee girl from us, betrayed the workers when we finally had something to negotiate with, and now you come before us askin us to just lay down our weapons?”

All eyes had turned to face the pillar, where Kobichi had uncrossed his arms as he pointed a meaty finger in Ilia’s direction. Camera drones lifted and like bees began to swarm around him getting as many different angles as they could. Their feed amplified his voice across numerous speakers as he took up every screen in Atlas.

“I am not betraying our kind Kobichi, I’m trying to keep everyone here from repeating the same mistakes the White Fang made in the past. The organization started as a peaceful rebellion, with protests and simple requests to be treated as equals before things changed. Kidnapping was just the start and I watched as the organization for peace turned into a group of misguided faunus thinking they needed to use fear to get their way. I’ve seen how it ends, and I don’t want to see that happen to anyone ever again. You can still stand down and be a part of the solution. Please, join us in moving forward instead of back.” Ilia tried to extend a hand towards Kobichi, though he only shook his head and sneered.

Weiss could hear movement once more as soldiers from all sides began to take combat positions as the two exchanged words.

“Here you are, hiding behind military protection, asking us to throw away our weapons and give ourselves up. You forget of course that these aren’t the only Atlas mines. What happens here today will be witnessed by every single faunus in all of Atlas, and if ya think that they’ll all surrender because of a few pretty words, yer wrong.” Kobichi smirked as he turned his gaze towards the cameras.

Ilia shook her head, and stepping away from the podium, walked forward and jumped down from the stage. As soon as she crossed the threshold of the hard-light generators, Weiss could here even more communications passing through the military behind her. Kobichi raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back to Ilia as she stepped towards him, tossing aside her weapon and putting her arms out to the sides.

“Right now, I have no protection. No hard light barriers, no soldiers between us, not even an activated aura.” Ilia looked up at Kobichi, watching as his hands gripped onto the band across his chest that was connected to the RPG at his back. Weiss stood up as she watched Ilia continue to take steps towards Kobichi, the crowd of faunus parting ways as she approached. “You’re right, everything here is being witnessed by every single faunus in Atlas, so now is your chance. You have all the power right now, to decide to take the path of violence, or the path of peace.”

Weiss reached to her waist, taking the grip of her weapon as she watched Kobichi start to laugh. His hand had begun to pull at the strap as the weapon rotated up and over his shoulder. Her eyes darted between rebels that had ducked back into their entrenched positions, taking up their weapons once again as they watched Kobichi grip the rocket launcher with one hand while continuing to stare down at Ilia.

Behind her, military forces were aiming their weapons across to Kobichi, and even Paladins were stepping forward and waiting just on the other side of the hard light barriers. Weiss caught a glance of Ironwood, standing just a the base of the stairs and shouting into a radio.

“Do not fire until the rebels engage. If we shoot the first shot, everything we’ve worked for will be lost. I repeat,  _ do not fire _ .” Ironwood looked up to Weiss, shaking his head, before turning his attention back to Kobichi who had an amused look on his face.

“The path I choose now is the path best for all of our kind.” Kobichi reached out to a camera drone whirring dangerously close to him, snatching it with a bulky free hand and bringing it close to his face. “We faunus will  _ never _ bow to a man like Jacques Schnee ever again, and we ain’t gonna be pushed around by these snobby Atlas types anymore.”

Letting out a laugh, Kobichi slammed his forehead into the lens of the drone, cracking it before throwing it aside. A small trail of blood trickled across his forehead as he continued to shout down at Ilia.

“We also won’t put up with filthy traitors who would turn on their own kind for money from a Schnee.” There was an air of peace around Kobichi as his hand gripped the trigger of the weapon. Ilia remained where she was standing, shaking her head as she looked up at Kobichi, still clinging to the faintest hope that he would stand down. Instead, Kobichi’s eyes went wild as he shouted once more for the world to hear. “Faunus of Atlas, we fight!”

“Ilia!” Weiss stepped from the stage, doing her best to reach Ilia as quickly as she could. The workers parted ways, scattering in all directions in a panic, and she looked up at Kobichi as he grinned down at Ilia. She could see a plume of smoke suddenly erupt from his weapon as he pulled the trigger. Glyphs formed across the ground as Weiss propelled herself with as much speed as she could generate and in a flash she was in front of Ilia.

Her weapon pierced the ground, a glowing white rune taking up the majority of space in front of her as she watched the rocket racing towards them.

_ As long as I can get the Arma Gigas… _

The rune forming the massive armored creature flickered just as quickly as Weiss had created her. She watched as the boots of the figure began to dissolve away before they’d had a chance to form completely, and her body gave way as her aura shattered. The amount of effort she’d put through the day had left her exhausted, and her heart sank as she realized she didn’t have the energy left to maintain a summon, nor did she have any aura left to protect her from the attack headed directly towards them.

Leaning on Myrtenaster for support, Weiss felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. She turned her head and felt the contact of Ilia’s lips press against her cheek, and she felt tears stream down her face as they stood together. Closing her eyes, Weiss turned around, leaning into Ilia and pressing their lips together as the sound of gunfire erupted all around them.

There was a rumbling sound all around them, an explosion, and the world went dark.


	14. Rocky Rescue & A Happy Ending

Silence.

There was a lingering sense of nothingness floating around the girls, but at the very least they could still feel the other. The rumbling had passed, the sound of the muffled explosion having faded away, and the pair were left with only the feeling of the other girl as the seconds ticked on.

“Did… we explode?” Ilia mumbled her words against Weiss’s lips, arms still tightly wrapped around the girl with her entire body tense. She’d been preparing for the worst, waiting for the sudden wave of fire to wash over the pair from the force of the rocket, but instead found that the only thing she could feel was Weiss’s body pressed into hers. Not daring to open an eye, some part of her thinking this was one of those traumatic moments where time slows down, Ilia kept her tight hold around Weiss.

“I don’t… think so.” Weiss matched Ilia’s mumbles, speaking into the girl’s lips and not daring to pull away. Then again, given Ilia’s grip around her weakened body, she doubted she’d be able to wiggle free even if she tried. “At least, that didn’t feel like any explosion I’ve ever experienced.”

Even in the state they were in Ilia couldn’t hold back a surprised chuckle at such a response. Her lips formed a grin against Weiss’ as she at last pulled her head away and dared a glimpse into their surroundings. Another surprise ticked through her mind as she squinted, surprised that even with her enhanced faunus vision she couldn’t see a thing. Her grip released on Weiss, a slight relief provided by the darkness signaling they weren’t in danger of exploding any time soon.

Feeling Ilia’s grip loosens, the other girl’s head pulling away, Weiss dared to open her own eyes, and was equally surprised by her inability to see a thing. The area that had once been a battlefield surrounded by gunfire, spotlights, and camera drones had seemingly gone dark. Weiss found herself holding on to Myrtenaster to keep herself standing as Ilia seemed to release her and take a step into the void that had taken them.

“You don’t think we died already do you? Like this is some weird afterlife or something?” Ilia was mostly joking, but as she took a few steps with her arms outstretched in the dark, she struggled to find anything but air as she waved blindly around.

“Well that’d certainly be inconvenient. I’ve far to many other more important things to be doing rather than die.” Weiss pouted in the darkness, imagining for the briefest of moments that maybe this really was the afterlife. Ruby would be devastated she knew that much, as would everyone else. Part of her wondered how much her family would miss her, and she could only imagine that deep down her father would use her as some sort of Martyr to further his own causes. She let out an audibly displeased huff before her ear twitched at a sudden slapping sound.

“That’s really your biggest concern about being dead?” Ilia smiled at Weiss’s response, thankful that the pair were remaining somewhat positive all things considered. However, her thoughts were side tracked as her outstretched arms came in contact with a solid surface. Her fingers skimmed across it, a smooth and somewhat cold sensation, before she smacked it with her palm to test the strength of whatever she’d found. “Ouch…”

The surface Ilia had discovered proved quite solid, and with steady steps she began to walk beside it with her fingers gently tracing along as she went.

“Find something?” Weiss wondered if Ilia could see any better than she could. The girl’s fuanus traits had proven time and time again to be useful in situations like this, and Weiss couldn’t help but imagine the comfort she’d feel being able to see Ilia in whatever this darkness was.

“It’s kind of like a wall? I don’t know, but whatever it is it’s smooth.” Ilia continued to track along the surface until the force of her hand seemed to find a weakened part of whatever she’d bumped into. There were cracks in the otherwise smooth surface, and balling up her hand into a fist she gave a few solid strikes to the cracked area until a sudden shard of light broke through.

Taking a step back, Ilia’s eyes quickly adjusted to the miniscule amount of light, and she glanced back to Weiss still leaning blindly against her weapon. Ilia then let her eyes travel around the area they’d ended up in. It certainly didn’t look like the afterlife, but instead some sort of stone dome.Though, it wasn’t as if she had any reference for what death would look like, but her attention was quickly pulled back to the hole she’d made as sound flowed in just as quickly as the light had.

There was shouting, and lots of it, but a distinct lack of gunfire coming from the tiny slit in the stone. Ilia took a step back, and putting most of her weight into the blow, forced her foot through the stone surface. The kick had more force behind it than she probably needed, and Ilia found herself falling forward and almost threatening to drop down into splits as she planted the foot firmly down on the other side of the stone encasing.

Weiss winced slightly as she heard Ilia kick through the shell around them, light and sound suddenly flooding her senses as she looked away just long enough to adjust to the sudden change in light levels. Looking back up towards the hole, Weiss couldn’t help but imagine the cliche moments in films where an angel descends upon a hero with light basking them from behind. Ilia was stepping towards her with the light of the outside world making her silhouette almost glow, and the girl helped Weiss stand. Ilia’s arm wrapped around Weiss’s waist, while she draped one of Weiss’s arms over her shoulders, and the pair hobbled out as Weiss plucked her weapon from the stone and held it weakly at her side.

“Stand down, all soldiers stand down now!” The blaring of the speakers spewing Ironwood’s voice came seemingly from nowhere as the two stepped onto a blackened scorch mark across the ground. Their eyes wandered in separate directions, trying to gauge what exactly had happened.

All around them were stone pillars, walls, and other smaller domes like their own, that had seemingly sprung up out of nowhere. Even with as rocky and uneven as the terrain outside of the mines had been, it was nothing compared to how conditions were now. Bullet marks had peppered the stone walls, terrified soldiers and rebels on the opposite sides of each, while their weapons seemed to be awkwardly contained within the rocky protrusions. Weiss watched as a handful of soldiers struggled to try and free their weapons from their confines, and Ilia spotted a small group of rebels attempting the same in vain.

“Miss Schnee, is that you?” As her eyes scanned the barrier fence, spotting a few toppled Paladins, Weiss eventually made eye contact with the general, and she gave an awkward nod in his direction as relief washed over his face. “Soldiers, secure the Heiress at once, and make sure no harm comes to her, to Miss Amitola, or any of the miners.”

“NO. REBELS, DO NOT LET THEM-” The pillar directly in front of the girls, the pillar that the leader of the rebels had been perched upon when he had declared his intentions, suddenly had a booming voice silenced instantly above them. It may have been the shock of the situation, but Weiss and Ilia each felt their hearts sink as they heard Kobichi’s voice, having completely forgotten about the man that had just attempted to kill them a minute ago. Their eyes shot up, half expecting to see a second rocket with all the time they’d given Kobichi to reload just by standing around, but were surprised to see that the entirety of his bulky frame had been encased in stone.

Unlike the others, where soldiers and workers seemed to have been protected but not disabled by the stone that had risen up, Kobichi was instead completely covered and by the looks of it struggling to try and break himself free. His face was red, and likely on the verge of popping a vessel, as stone slowly inched up over the remainder of him that had not been covered. His voice was silenced, as was the battlefield, as everyone stared up at the statue figure of the man that had just attempted to declare war on Atlas.

“I’d’ve hoped to have gotten his entire body at once. Not as young as I used ta be I suppose.” A gruff and somewhat familiar voice came from their right, and there was a figure approaching them that they couldn’t quite make out with all the dust that had been kicked up.

Even in her weakened state, Weiss struggled to move forward, planting her feet firmly on the ground as she put herself between Ilia and whoever was moving towards them. Raising Myrtenaster against whoever was approaching, she readied herself to defend the pair. To her surprise however, Ilia extended a hand and lowered her weapon with a smile.

“Carna…” Ilia’s eyes were welling with tears as she ran forward and jumped into the open arms of the portly and pink pig faunus. 

“Hello dear, I’m so glad to see you’re safe. You as well Miss Schnee. You’ve both surprised me a great deal.” Letting Ilia free from his hug, Carna’s yellow eyes fixated on Weiss as he gave her a polite nod.

Ilia took a few steps back from Carna, wiping tears from her eyes as she returned to helping Weiss stand. Carna opened his mouth to say more, but the sound of boots stomping against the ground behind the girls cut his speech short.

A pair of soldiers came from their flank and stood on either side, weapons raised against Carna, who merely put his hands up in his best attempt to show he wasn’t a threat.

“Unidentified faunus here, orders?” One of the soldiers raised a hand to the comms on his helmet as he stared down Carna.

“Hey, stop it!” Ilia reached out to try and lower the weapon of the guard, but they merely shrugged her off and moved further to the side out of her reach.

“Faunus, identi- who?” Ironwood’s voice could be heard through the speakers but he seemed to be cut off by someone else talking to him. A moment later a different voice came through, and Weiss couldn’t help but turn her head to look back at the stage as she watched her father take to the podium.

“Carna? Is that you? I thought you were dead.” The shocked voice of Jacques Schnee came over as Carna smiled and waved in his direction. Going to speak again, Carna paused as he realized how loud he’d have to shout for his voice to carry across the battlefield. Frowning, his eyes caught a camera drone still buzzing in the air above them to record and display the situation, and he wiggled a meaty finger to call it down to him.

Carna’s face was suddenly taking up the entire broadcasting screen. His eyes constantly flicked from the lens of the drone to his massive face on the screens, and for a brief moment he internally mused about the idea that the camera adds ten pounds.

“Can’t get rid of me that easy. Let’s just say I was taking an extended and  _ paid _ vacation shall we?” Jacques’ just stared, his jaw slacked as Carna chuckled on the screen. “In which case, I’d like to return to my position as head foreman of the Schnee Dust Company’s mines. Though, there are certain things I would like to negotiate in regards to our working conditions.”

“Well I…” Jacques struggled with his words as everyone stared up at him. He looked from Carna, to the rest of the miners, to even the soldiers that surrounded him, all watching to see what he did next. “Of course. We were here to try and negotiate terms from the start after all.”

Carna smirked as Jacques did his best to maintain his composure. The soldiers on either side of Weiss and Ilia lowered their weapons, though they also did their best to try and herd the pair back towards the stage and military presence. Ilia looked back at Carna, a hint of worry and desire not to leave his side so soon, but with a smile and an encouraging gesture for them to move on, Ilia turned her head away and helped Weiss as they made their way from the mines and back into the military camps on the edge.

While the two guards that had come to retrieve them stayed by their side, there was a flurry of movements as other soldiers swarmed outward into the mining fields to collect any stray weaponry. Looking back over their shoulder, Ilia could see Carna having a discussion with a particularly heavily armed squad as the pillar that the solidified Kobichi had been standing on slowly sank down into the ground. The stone that had been encasing his body peeled away as the soldiers prepared to take him into custody, and as soon as his head was free he began shouting almost immediately. There was a flash of bright light as several soldiers hit him with stun batons at once, and his body crumpled. Ilia couldn’t help but smile to herself before facing forward once more.

“Miss Schnee, are you alright?” General Ironwood came to greet the girls as soon as they crossed the perimeter fencing. The hard light defenses around them were somewhat damaged and soldiers were still struggling to set the Paladins upright once more, but the girls were pleased to see there hadn’t been any notable injuries on this side of the fence.

“I’m fine, it’s just been a bit of a long week.” Weiss gave a bit of a cold stare to Ironwood, and while she was thankful that he’d been generous enough to give them the opportunity they’d had that night, it was mostly his fault she was in her current state. Her aura was still drained and walking with her exhausted body was difficult, but she let out a sigh before nodding and smiling politely. “Thank you, for everything. Giving us this chance, and not losing control of things at the first sign of danger.”

Ilia and Weiss both imagined what could’ve happened if Ironwood took Kobichi’s declaration to heart. Even with the actions Carna had taken, there were more than enough still armed troops that could’ve flooded the area and put an end to the matter for good.

“Until I was certain that blood had been spilled, I saw no reason to be the one to make the first blow. Though admittedly most of the thanks goes to that Carna friend of yours.” Ironwood turned to face Ilia, his eyes flickering past her briefly to glance at the pig faunus, before focusing his attention back to her. “The moment the rocket was fired I was prepared to send my forces in, but he has a very powerful semblance. In no time at all he protected forces on both sides as well as the both of you. Frankly, I’m glad to know he was on your side.”

Ilia nodded with a smile before her attention was pulled from Ironwood to a bit of commotion in the distance. In another part of the military camp there was suddenly a lot of shouting, and her brow furrowed in concern, wondering if there was a rogue faunus still trying to carry out Kobichi’s plan to attack Atlas. Instead, her worries were wiped away as Ironwood too glanced in that direction with a bit of a chuckle.

“I think all that noise is for the two of you.” The girls looked up at the man with equal parts confusion before the voice causing the disturbance grew loud enough to be recognizable.

“WEISS! WHERE IS SHE!?” The shrill tone brought a weak smile to Weiss’s face as she shook her head.

“That dolt. I was wondering when she’d get around to finding me.” There was a constant blur of crimson petals floating over the camp as a figure dashed from soldier to soldier, and seconds later Weiss was making eye contact with her silver eyed leader. She watched as her team leader’s eyes began to well with tears, her red cape flowing behind her as she entered a full sprint in Weiss’s direction.

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!” It was hard to tell if Ruby was crying, screaming, or some combination of both as she leapt at Weiss to give her a powerful hug. Weiss found herself completely pulled from Ilia’s side and struggling not to lose her balance as the two stumbled backwards before falling back onto the ground.

“Ruby please, I’m okay you can get off of me!” Groaning a bit as she lifted her head up, Weiss looked down at the pouting face of her leader who was clutching tightly onto her snowy dress.

“Ruby, where did you-!” Another familiar voice called out from the crowd past Ruby, and the fiery blonde hair of Yang Xiao-Long set her apart from the crowd of near identically uniformed soldiers as she came into view. Her eyes met with Ruby and Weiss as she waved with a grin and hurried over. Behind her the rest of the group they’d been travelling with quickly made their way to them, and Weiss was relieved to see that everyone seemed to be in good health.

Yang slowly lifted Ruby off of Weiss as Jaune, another of her travelling companions, lowered a gloved hand to help Weiss up onto her feet.

“Where on earth have you been? You disappeared almost immediately after we landed! We looked for days but it wasn’t we saw the broadcast that we had any idea where to look!” Jaune’s concerned expression was shared by the rest of the group, and Weiss could only let out an exhausted sigh.

“It’s a bit of a long story, and I’d rather not get much into it…” Weiss would gladly recount her time since returning to Atlas with everyone another day, but frankly what she wanted more than anything was a nice comfy bed to just collapse in.

A bit from the group, where Ilia had been standing awkwardly by herself, she was smiling brightly at Weiss being reunited with all of her friends. She’d forgotten quite how large a group Weiss had been travelling with, and it looked like they’d even gained a few members as well. Furthermore, their last encounter with one another hadn’t exactly been the most pleasant, and she wondered if any of them harbored any negative feelings towards her.

“Hey, you okay?” Ilia snapped to attention as she looked to the person addressing her. Blake had approached her in her usual silent fashion, and was giving her a bit of a nervous smile.

“Oh, yeah. I’m alright. I’m a bit shaky all things considered, it’s been a bit of a crazy few weeks.” Ilia awkwardly rubbed the back of her head, fingers combing through her ponytail as she looked over to Weiss with a bit of a blush.

“So, you and Weiss eh? That was an impressive speech you two delivered. Was there truth to all that?” Blake pursed her lips, hoping that she wasn’t prying into anything she shouldn’t, and glanced back at Weiss still being swarmed by the rest of their group.

“Believe me, I’m almost as shocked as you are. If you’d told me back when we were training together, that I’d one day end up romantically entangled with the very people we were trying to take down, I might’ve tried to turn you in as some sort of traitor.” The pair giggled to themselves. “Turns out we had a lot in common, in particular a certain distaste for her father.”

“I can definitely see that as a way to break the ice.” Blake smiled, looking back to the group, before feeling a nudge at her side. She turned to see Ilia giving her a teasing expression as she pointed subtly over towards everyone.

“So, you and Ya-” Before she could even finish her sentence Blake had clamped a hand over Ilia’s mouth. Both their eyes were wide in surprise as Blake raised a finger to her own lips.

“How do you even…” Ilia frowned and pulled the hand from her mouth.

“Weiss mentioned it. Is it really that big a secret?” Letting out a laugh, Ilia watched as Blake’s ears drooped and she buried her face in her palms.

“Well we thought it was. We haven’t exactly mentioned it to anyone outright but if Weiss can figure it out then I guess-”

“The cats out of the bag?” Ilia’s cheeks puffed up as she did her best to contain her laughter at her own joke. Blake could only give her a dirty look, cheeks flushed as she grabbed Ilia by the arm and dragged her towards the group. “Oh hey wait what-”

“Everyone, let’s not forget Weiss isn’t the only one we should be worried about. Isn’t that right?” Ilia froze as she felt all eyes on her with Blake’s little introduction. She’d been perfectly content with watching from the background as Weiss reunited with her friends. It wasn’t as if she herself knew anyone else all that well after all.

“Oh right!” Yang’s eyes turned sharp as she squinted at Ilia, eyes deviously looking between her and Weiss. “Weiss has herself a-”

“GIRLFRIEND!” Ruby’s voice boomed out with enough volume that even a few guards stopped to stare for a second. Yang instantly had her arm around her younger sister’s head, her metallic hand squeezing tightly against her mouth.

“Yeah, that.” Yang, as well as the rest of the group, couldn’t help but laugh as both Weiss and Ilia blushed a deep red, looking towards one another and then letting their gazes linger on the ground.

“Oh, does that mean we have a new member!” Nora Valkyrie, with her bright red hair, burst out from between Jaune and Ren as she stared at Ilia with stars in her eyes.

“Nora, please calm down.” Ren tugged at the collar of Nora’s outfit, pulling her back to his side and away from Ilia, before glancing in her direction with a curious expression.

“I mean if her work here is done and all…” Weiss gave a hopeful look to Ilia, who seemed more than eager to accept the invitation to join them. Still, before she could voice her acceptance, another member of the group cut her off with a cough before stepping forward.

“As excited as I’m sure everyone is, and as much as I’m sure you two want to spend time together, do you think it wise to bring her along on this  _ particular _ mission?” Qrow Branwen, the technical leader of their small group, narrowed his eyes as he looked to Weiss. All around her Ilia could suddenly feel the mood shift and the air grow heavy.

“I can handle myself you know. I spent time in the White Fang, just helped stop a rebellion… I mean what’s the worst this mission could be, stopping the apocalypse or something?” Ilia went to laugh, though her cheerful burst of energy was immediately cut short as she found herself the only one cracking a smile. All around her everyone seemed to be avoiding her eyes, sullen and downcast expression shared by each of them. “You can’t be serious.”

“So you see, here’s the thing…” Weiss finally mustered the courage to look to Ilia, her heart weighing heavy at the idea of bringing Ilia along with them. She’d been so caught up in the issues facing Atlas that she’d almost entirely forgotten about the bigger picture. As much as she wanted to let Ilia come with them, deep down she knew that it would only endanger the girl she’d fallen for.

“Ah ah, stop right there.” Maria’s voice came through as she lifted her cane in front of Weiss’s face to cut her off. “While I’m certain your friend here can keep a secret, let’s not go rambling off all the details in a public place like this. For now I think the best thing is to get everyone somewhere a little more comfortable and private before we start worrying about what happens next.”

“Like Weiss’s house!” Ruby’s voice cut through the tension as she began to imagine the sort of enormous home Weiss lived in. Her mind was filled with fantasies of castles, mansions, and even some strange blends between the two. 

“Hey wait a second, you can’t just decide that!” Weiss shot a look to Ruby, imagining what sort of havoc she would wreak if she entered the Schnee Family Manor. The number of priceless antiques, works of art, and ceremonial pieces that she could destroy just merely being around them was enough to want Weiss to keep her as far away from that place as possible.

“As Team Leader, I can make it a mission! Or an order! Or something! TO WEISS’S HOUSE!” Ruby punched her fist into the air and immediately started to charge back in the direction of the airship.

“TO WEISS’S HOUSE!” In unison, Nora, Jaune, and Yang each punched their own hands into the air to charge after Ruby, as Qrow and Maria muttered to themselves about keeping up with the boundless energy of the youngsters they were keeping track of. Ren cracked a smile as he followed after Nora, and Blake gave a comforting smile back to Ilia before she too hurried after the group.

“So. Saving the world?” Ilia stood close to Weiss, glad to see that she’d recovered at least enough of her stamina that she could walk without trouble.

“Yeah we have a lot to talk about, and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t believe half of it.” Weiss herself had only been able to come to grips with the reality thanks to Jinn. She imagined trying to recount the vision without the aid of the relic was going to be quite the feat. “Suffice it to say, this fairy tale of ours is about to get more complicated than you could ever imagine.”

“Well then.” Ilia stopped Weiss for a moment, turning the pair so that they faced one another, and gave a confident smile. “I guess the only thing we can do is hope this fairy tale still ends with happily ever after.”

Leaning forward, Ilia gave Weiss a peck on the lips as she wove their fingers together. The sense of dread that had been building up in Weiss seemed to melt away with the gesture, and for the first time since the vision she began to feel the tiniest spark of hope that everything might just turn out alright after all. That maybe they’d all get through this and live happily ever after.


End file.
